By Owen Kutlu, Staff Writer
Men’s
Both the Gettysburg men’s and women’s basketball teams took the court this past Friday night to kick off their Centennial Conference tournament play after receiving byes into the semifinals. The top-seeded men faced fourth-seeded Swarthmore, and the second-seeded women squared up against third-seeded Dickinson.
The men were first up to try and secure their spot in the championship game. Gettysburg started the game hot and managed to build a small lead. However, that would not last very long, as Swarthmore put together a run of their own and took control of the lead. As the first half continued, Swarthmore’s lead grew and they eventually went up by double digits.
Men’s Bullets Basketball. (Photo Abror Niyazmetov/The Gettysburgian)
Gettysburg found themselves in an eight-point hole entering the second half. Behind Nate Williams ’26, the Bullets were able to keep the game within striking distance. Every time that Gettysburg would close the gap though, the Garnet seemed to have a response.
Williams was able to cash in on some big shots from behind the arc as the clock began to become a factor. Unfortunately for Gettysburg, rebounding on the defensive end seemed to be a struggle all game and that was the case for the final stretch as well. The Bullets could not stack up enough stops to get within reach, and Swarthmore went home with an 84-72 victory and moved on to the Centennial Conference championship against Johns Hopkins for the sixth straight year. They went on to win this game and secured their spot in the NCAA tournament.
As mentioned earlier, Williams led the Bullets with a career-high 27 points. Akim Joseph ’25 followed with 13 points of his own. Carl Schaller ’25 fought through foul trouble and finished with nine points. Jordan Stafford ’25 and Aidan Mess ’26 were right behind, adding eight more each. Stafford left the contest early with an undisclosed injury.
Women’s
The story was much more positive for the women’s team. Facing the Red Devils, Gettysburg jumped out to an early lead and did not look back. The Bullets kept the pressure high and walked into the half with a 27-point lead.
Gettysburg did not relinquish that lead and maintained a high level of intensity on both ends of the court to keep Dickinson at bay. By the time the clock hit zero, the Bullets mustered up a comfortable 74-48 win to send them back to the championship game.
Mackenzie Szlosek ’25 was Gettysburg’s leading scorer with sixteen points. Alayna Arnolie ’26 continued her stellar season with fourteen points. Emily Violante ’25 and Shinya Lee ’25 also got into double figures with eleven points each.
In an attempt to defend their 2022-23 Centennial Conference title, Gettysburg traveled to Baltimore on Sunday to take on number one-seeded Johns Hopkins. The teams split the pair of head-to-head matchups during the regular season, so fans were in store for a good one.
Both teams traded small runs in the first quarter, which was how the whole game went. The Blue Jays eventually took a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
Gettysburg regained the lead coming out of the half, but Johns Hopkins stayed on their heels. After going down by five points, the
Women’s Basketball celebrating after clinching the Centennial Conference Title. (Photo Courtesy of Gettysburg College Athletics)
Blue Jays stormed back and went in front. After a few more lead changes, the third quarter ended the same as the second with Gettysburg down a single point.
With the title coming down to the final ten minutes, Gettysburg saved their best for when it mattered most. They threw everything they had at Johns Hopkins towards the end of the game. The Blue Jays did not fold, but eventually, Gettysburg proved to be a little too much down the stretch. All that was left was for the Bullets to ice the game at the free-throw line, and that is just what they did.
Gettysburg claimed their third straight Centennial Conference title with the 64-55 win. In an evenly distributed box score, Kimberly Hopkins ’26 led the Bullets with thirteen points. Szlosek checked in with an additional twelve, and the tournament MVP went to Lee, who put up a ten-point and seventeen-rebound performance.
With their Centennial Conference championship win, the women’s team has punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament. They will take on St. John Fisher on Mar. 1 in the first round of the tournament at Rhode Island College.
Women’s Basketball with their trophy and banners after winning the Centennial Conference for the 3rd year in a row. (Photo James T VanRensselear/Gettysburg College Athletics)
