Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Steve Juskin
led five players in double figures with 16 points as 14th-ranked
Franklin & Marshall extended its winning streak to 12
games with a 68-56 win at Gettysburg in Centennial Conference
(CC) men’s basketball action on Wednesday.
Brandon Smith added 14
points and seven rebounds to help the Diplomats (17-2, 12-0
CC) become the first team to clinch a spot in the conference
playoffs. With six games remaining, F&M’s magic number
to clinch the tournament’s top seed – and hosting rights –
is 3.
David Glaser (West Chester, PA/Malvern
Prep) posted team highs with 14 points and six rebounds
for the Bullets, who never led on the night, but pulled to
within 44-42 before the Diplomats’ sealed the win with a 15-4
run midway through the second half.
Dami Oloruntoba (Glenn Dale, MD/Eleanor
Roosevelt) and Erik Fromm (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway
Regional) also hit double digits for Gettysburg (11-8,
7-5 CC) with 10 points apiece. The loss snapped the Bullets’
four-game winning streak.
Battling its way through the CC’s top
defense, Franklin & Marshall carried a hard-earned lead
into the locker room before shooting 59 percent from the field
and getting to the free-throw line 24 times in the second
half to stay perfect in conference play.
Smith’s game-opening 3-pointer game the
Diplomats a lead they wouldn’t relinquish and the visitors
built their advantage to 9-2 on a 3-point play by Bobby
Lynch with 4:54 gone in the game. A 3-pointer from
Duran Searles extended the lead to 17-6 and
Smith converted a third-chance put-back to make it 21-8 with
7:49 left in the half.
Todd Brady (Hancock, NH/ConVal)
scored on a driving layup and Fromm came off the bench with
five quick points to key an 11-3 run that brought the Bullets
within 24-19. Lynch hit 1 of 2 free throws and Logan
Outerbridge canned his lone trey of the night to make
it 28-19, but Fromm converted a layup and Chris Pombar
(Glen Head, NY/North Shore) knocked down a 3-pointer
to keep F&M within range at 28-24 heading into the locker
room.
Fromm’s 3-point play cut the Gettysburg
deficit to 40-39 with 14:05 left and the Bullets stayed within
44-42 on an Oloruntoba 3-pointer at 12:01 before the Diplomats
stepped on the gas.
Lynch and Searles converted layups on
consecutive trips to start the run. Smith hit two free throws,
then swished a 3-pointer and the F&M lead was back to
double digits at 53-42. Juskin then converted 1 of 2 charity
tosses and Jackiem Wright nailed a 3-pointer
to make it 59-46 with 6:45 left.
Trailing 62-48, the Bullets cut the margin
to eight with three consecutive baskets, but went 1-for-5
from the field and turned the ball over three times down the
stretch. Wright and Searles closed out the win with six free
throws on 10 trips to the line in the final 1:48.
Wright finished with 13 points while
Searles added 12 and Lynch chipped in with 10 to go along
with eight rebounds. The Diplomats’ starting lineup accounted
for 65 of the team’s 68 points on the night.
Led by Fromm’s 10 points and eight from
Brady, the Gettysburg bench contributed 23 points.
The Bullets return to action on Saturday
at Muhlenberg. Game time is 4 p.m.
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