GEORGETOWN, Texas - Southwestern hit their offensive stride on Friday night, shooting over 50% from the floor and nearly 50% from three point range to defeat Colorado College 82-68.
Southwestern was slow to start but once they did they were unstoppable from long range, draining their first five field goals from beyond the arc. No matter what defense the Tigers threw at Southwestern, the Pirates had the answer, scoring at will in the first half to take a 12 point lead, 42-30, into halftime. SU was an impressive 15-25 from the field (60%) and 8-14 from three point range (57.1%) in the opening frame.
The Pirates came out of halftime just as they went in with Michael Cantu draining a three from the top of the key off an out-of-bounds play to push SU's lead to 17, 47-30.
Tenacious defense continued to fuel the lead as Southwestern forced the Tigers into tough shots and cleaned up on the boards, pushing their lead to 20, 56-36, with 14:28 to play.
Southwestern cooled off a bit as the game got into the final 12 minutes just as Colorado College hit a hot streak to pull within seven, 58-51, with 10:27 remaining.
The Pirates' aggressive defense began to catch up with them as the Tigers moved into the bonus and began chipping away at SU's lead from the free throw line. Jake Tramutolo's three-pointer in transition brought Colorado College within seven, 70-63, with just over three minutes left.
CC remained precariously close as the clock continued to wind down. Southwestern held an eight point advantage, 75-67, with 1:12 remaining as the Tigers began to foul to attempt to pull close. After Cantu drained his two free throws the Pirates employed the full court press and stole the ball and went back to the line. Hurley converted on one of two to push SU's lead back in double digits, 78-67.
Strong defensive stands paced the Pirates to the finish as they secured the 82-68 victory.
Southwestern remained hot all night, shooting 54.9% from the field and 45.8% from three point range while holding the Tigers to 35.6% from the floor and 40.7% from long range. Cantu led all scorers with 21 points, going 5-7 from the field, 2-2 from three-point and 9-11 from the charity stripe. Hurley added in 19 while Daniel Mataya added in 12. Travis Kurtz was remarkable, shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field and 1-1 from three-point. Ryan Milne led the Tigers with 17 points.
The Pirates improve to 2-20 on the year, 2-11 in the SCAC, and remain at home for their final home game of the season, facing Hendrix College at 8pm for senior night.
