By Zion Williams, Staff Writer
Men’s Basketball
The men’s team celebrated their seniors with a convincing 79-53 win against Muhlenberg on Saturday, securing the top seed and the ability to control whether they play at home for the entirety of the Centennial Conference Tournament.
Before tip-off, the Bullets held a ceremony to honor the careers of their seniors. Antonello Baggi ’24, Ryan McKeon ’24, Max Pernetti ’24, and Shane Scott ’24 walked out to half-court with their families, applauded by their teammates and supporters.
Following a scoreless first minute and a half, Scott broke the deadlock with two free throws after driving to the basket and drawing a foul. Muhlenberg responded on their next possession. Their player Jayson Williams-Johnson cut to the basket, received a well-timed pass, and finished the layup.
This back-and-forth pattern was the story of the first half. Muhlenberg registered the largest lead of the half, 27-22, with just under six minutes to go before halftime. The Bullets closed the gap though and a Jordan Stafford ’25 triple gave them the 34-33 lead with 25 seconds left in the half. However, Giovanni Rubino gave Muhlenberg the halftime lead as his three-pointer just beat the buzzer.
The second half was a completely different story. Gettysburg outscored the Mules 45-17. After Williams-Johnson extended the Mules lead to four early in the second half, the Bullets went on a 20-4 run, started by a McKeon dunk, which made it 54-42 with just over a quarter left to play. The Mules were never able to recover, and the game ended 79-53 in favor of the Bullets.
The Bullets now begin their conference tournament campaign, as they host a semifinal game on Friday, Feb. 23rd against an opponent to be announced.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s team posted a resounding 84-42 win against Bryn Mawr on Saturday to secure the number two seed for the Centennial Conference tournament and bring their record to 22-3 overall and 19-1 in the conference.
The Bullets won the tip and Mackenzie Szlosek ’25 opened the scoring after receiving the handoff from Emily Violante ’25, driving to the basket, and converting the layup. After getting the defensive stop, Gettysburg took the 4-0 lead after a Shinya Lee ’25 jump shot.
The Bullets went on to take a 9-0 lead with seven and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter. Jessica Smith’s three-pointer on the next possession opened the scoring for Bryn Mawr, but the Bullets continued their momentum and finished the quarter with a 24-8 lead. Jameson Mott ’27 got the party started in the second quarter with a three, and the Bullets eventually closed the half with a 39-17 lead.
From there, Gettysburg went on a 19-0 run to start the third quarter and brought the lead to 58-17. However, they saw their biggest lead of the game in the fourth quarter, 51 points, after Tatum Murray ’27 sank a triple right in front of the Bullets’ bench. Bryn Mawr scored 11 points and only two in the last three minutes of the game, as the Bullets cruised to an 84-42 win.
Gettysburg received the number two seed due to a coin flip that went in the favor of Johns Hopkins, but the Bullets will still host a Centennial Conference semifinal game on Friday, Feb. 23 against an opponent to be announced.
