LANCASTER, Pa. --- Alex Kraft drained a 35-foot desperation 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer to lift Franklin & Marshall over Gettysburg 82-81 in Centennial Conference (CC) action on Wednesday.

     The winning shot capped a furious Diplomat comeback in which the home team used an 11-2 run to erase a 79-71 deficit in the game's final 47 seconds.

     Mike Ritacco led Franklin & Marshall (16-5, 8-2 CC) with 23 points while Jerome Maiatico added 16, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the Diplomats' last-minute run.

     Curtis McNeil scored a career-high 27 points while Bill Davidson added 24 points for Gettysburg (12-9, 5-5 CC), which fought back from a 15-point second-half deficit to force the overtime period.  Terence Callahan and Greg Schreiber also chipped in with 12 points apiece for the Bullets.

     After Ritacco opened the overtime with a 3-pointer to give the Diplomats a 71-68 lead, Gettysburg went on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes and 22 seconds to take a 79-71 lead with 52 seconds left.  Schreiber and Davidson scored four points apiece during the run while McNeil converted three of his career-high 10 free throws.

     Grant Sporny started the F&M comeback with a driving layup and Maiatico followed an empty Bullet possession with a 3-pointer from the right side of the floor to cut the lead to 79-76 with 32 seconds left.

     After Davidson missed a pair of free throws, Maiatico tied the game at 79 with a leaning 3-pointer from the same spot on the floor.

     Gettysburg recovered to take an 81-79 lead on Callahan's driving layup with four seconds left, setting up Kraft's heroics.

     Following F&M's final timeout, Kraft caught the inbounds pass just across midcourt and took two dribbles before swishing the game-winner from 35 feet away to give the Diplomats their sixth straight win.

     Kraft finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Dave Manzo added 11 points and Matt McCuen also reached double figures with 10.

     Franklin & Marshall used a 21-2 run midway through the first half to take control of the game.

     With the contest tied at 15, Maiatico knocked down a 3-pointer from the right side of the floor to put the Diplomats ahead 18-15 with 9:26 left in the first half.

     After Callahan converted a pair of free throws, F&M reeled off the game's next 18 points, including seven from Maiatico and six from Ritacco, to take a 36-17 lead with 4:23 remaining before halftime.

     McNeil broke a five-minute, 11-second Gettysburg scoring drought with a 3-pointer at the 4:05 mark.  Manzo sank two free throws to push the Diplomats' advantage to 38-20 before the Bullets closed out the half on a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 41-29.

     Gettysburg trailed 54-39 with 13:09 left in regulation but fought back to tie the game at 68 when McNeil drilled a 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining for the last of his 17 second-half points.  The Bullet sophomore's sublime second-half performance also included a 7-for-7 showing from the free throw line.

     Callahan's 12-point effort was his highest scoring output since pouring in a career-high 17 against Elizabethtown on December 11, the same game in which McNeil posted his previous career scoring high of 20 points.

     Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday, February 12 at home against Western Maryland College.  Game time is 2 p.m.
 
 

Gettysburg (81)
Bowers 0-0 0-0 0, Callahan 4-6 2-3 12, Napp 0-3 0-0 0, McNeil 7-14 10-13 27, Natale 2-5 0-1 4, Monroe 1-2 0-0 2, Pfeil 0-0 0-0 0, Davidson 9-15 4-6 24, Boyle 0-2 0-0 0, Schreiber 6-10 0-0 12. Totals: 29-57 16-23 81.

Franklin & Marshall (82)
Sadowski 0-0 0-0 0, Maiatico 5-11 2-2 16, McCuen 4-6 0-0 10, Sporny 2-6 0-0 4, Thomas 2-5 0-0 4, Manzo 3-9 5-6 11, Ritacco 10-18 1-1 23, Kraft 5-7 3-6 14. Totals: 31-62 11-15 82.

Three-pointers: Gettysburg 7-18 (Callahan 2-3, Napp 0-2, McNeil 3-7, Davidson 2-6), Franklin & Marshall 9-18 (Maiatico 4-8, McCuen 2-3, Sporny 0-1, Manzo 0-1, Ritacco 2-4, Kraft 1-1). Rebounds: Gettysburg 31 (Davidson, Schreiber 7), Franklin & Marshall (Kraft 9). Assists: Gettysburg 13 (Callahan 5), Franklin & Marshall (Kraft 5). Turnovers: Gettysburg 17, Franklin & Marshall 17. Blocked Shots: Gettysburg 6 (Davidson 4), Franklin & Marshall 4 (Ritacco 2). Steals: Gettysburg 11 (Schreiber 4), Franklin & Marshall 10 (Ritacco 4). Personal Fouls: Gettysburg 18, Franklin & Marshall 17.  Technical Fouls: None. Attendance: 600.

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