February 20, 2008
Shoremen Win Shootout, 94-91
Washington & Swarthmore Set Division III
Record for Combined Three-Point Percentage

CHESTERTOWN, MD – Host Washington College shot 11-of-15 from three-point range and got 29 points from junior guard Tim Kohlrus (Fairfax, VA/W.T. Woodson) as the Shoremen held off visiting Swarthmore, 94-91, in a Centennial Conference men's basketball game tonight at Cain Athletic Center. The Shoremen (5-19, 2-15 Centennial) and Garnet (6-18, 2-15) set an NCAA Division III record for combined three-point field-goal percentage by both teams by going a combined 24-of-38 from long range (63.2%).

A missed three-pointer by Kohlrus with 5:07 left in the first half was the last missed three-point attempt the Shoremen would miss as they connected on their final eight tries from long range, including a perfect 7-for-7 mark in the second half. While Washington was red-hot from long range, Swarthmore also shot well from deep, going 13-of-23. The Shoremen came into the game shooting just 25% from three-point range on the season (80-of-320), last in the Centennial Conference.

The 24-of-38 performance (63.2%) from three-point range by both teams bested the old Division III record of 22-for-35 (62.9%) set by Simpson and Dubuque on February 22, 2003. Simpson shot 17-of-19 from deep in that game, the NCAA Division III record for a single team, while Dubuque was 5-for-16.

Swarthmore scored the first nine points of the game and took an early 12-2 lead, but an 11-2 run by the Shoremen later in the period knotted the score at 20-20. The game remained tight throughout the half with Washington taking a 39-38 lead into the break on a jumper by sophomore guard Scott Hampton (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) just before time expired. There were four ties and nine lead changes over the course of the first 20 minutes.

Washington opened up a 64-54 lead with 11:57 to play in the second half, but Swarthmore rallied to tie the score at 79-79 on a three-pointer by Matt Kurman with 4:37 remaining. The Shoremen answered by scoring the next six points as sophomore guard Alan Kines (Towson, MD/Towson) hit a three-pointer with 3:04 to play to make it 85-79. Swarthmore cut the lead to three points three times in the next 2:42, the final time coming when Steve Wolf sank two free throws with 21 seconds left to make it 92-89. Kohlrus made one of two free throws with 20 seconds to go to extend the lead to four points at 93-89, but Ian McCormick answered with a lay-up for Swarthmore to put the score at 93-91. Washington sophomore forward Bobby Klepacki (King of Prussia, PA/Upper Merion) made the second of two free throws with 11 seconds on the clock, giving Swarthmore a chance to tie, but a McCormick three pointer misfired with a second to play as the Shoremen held on for the win.

Kohlrus scored his 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 shooting from long range. He also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out six assists. Sophomore forward Andrew Chambers (Williamsport, MD/St. Maria Goretti) added 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists for Washington, while junior guard Todd Green (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) added 14 points, Kines contributed 10, and Klepacki tied his career high with 13. Hampton's basket at the end of the first half provided his only points of the game, but he dished out seven assists and swiped four steals in the contest.

Kurman led all scorers with 32 points in the loss for Swarthmore. Kurman, who also had four steals, shot 11-of-16 from the field and 7-of-9 from three-point range. Kurman scored his 1,000th career point on a basket with 13:21 remaining in the game. McCormick added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Matt Allen scored 17 points, connected on 5-of-6 three-point attempts, handed out six assists, and grabbed seven rebounds. Wolf finished with 11 points for Swarthmore.

The three-point shooting by Washington wasn't the only season-long trend the Shoremen bucked. Washington shot 59.6% overall from the field in the game after entering the night last in the conference with a mark of 38%. Washington also held a 40-30 advantage on the boards tonight after carrying a conference-worst -7.1 rebounding margin. On the flip side, the Shoremen carried a conference-best +4.48 turnover margin into the game, but committed five more turnovers than the Garnet (17 to 12).

The Shoremen, who equaled their season high for points in a game tonight, close out their 2007-08 season Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. game at Johns Hopkins.

BOX SCORE