GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - Pirate men's basketball hosted the Paul Peak Classic this weekend but were unable to come away with a win in two games against #23 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and the Whitman College Blues.
The first game of the Paul Peak classic came down to the wire in the Robertson Center as the Pirates took the Stags all the way to the final possession of the game. Southwestern found themselves down as much as fourteen points in the first half of the game but were able to claw back in the final minutes of the half to cut the lead to ten points in favor of the Stags. With two minutes left to play in the final quarter of the game and the Pirates still down ten points, Southwestern went on an eight-point run and tenacious defense in the final two minutes held the Stags at 61 points. The Pirates had the ball for the final possession of the game but were unable to get a shot off leading to a 61-59 final score leaning the way of CMS.
On Sunday afternoon the Pirates would attempt to bounce back from their loss on Saturday against the Whitman Blues.
Southwestern would find themselves in a high-scoring affair on Sunday but weren't able to keep pace with the Blues, who made eleven threes on the day and went 44% from beyond the arc. The Pirates trailed for most of the contest and the closest they would get to the Blues was four points with six minutes left in the game, but were down as many as sixteen in the second half. The Blues gained most of their threes after the Pirates closed the gap, pulling away and earning an 82-73 victory over Southwestern.
Gutierrez led the Pirates on Sunday with thirteen points, followed by Luechetefeld and Hatcher who had twelve, Hatcher also led the team in rebounds with six. The Pirates had five players with more than six points on the day, including Mills who gathered eight.
Men's Basketball will travel to Brownwood, Texas to try and return the favor against the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday, November 22nd at 3:00 PM
