THE FACTS
Gettysburg (10-4, 1-1 CC) 74, Franklin & Marshall (9-5, 1-1 CC) 72
What: Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball game
When: Wednesday, Jan. 15
Where: Lancaster, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Gettysburg trailed by as many as eight before rallying and finally taking the lead in the final 90 seconds and doing just enough to hold on and defeat Franklin & Marshall 74-72 on the road.
THE LEADERS
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Carl Schaller (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) led the Bullets with 20 points to go with three assists and two steals.
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Akim Joseph (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Notre Dame Fairfield [Conn.]) added 18 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots. He also hit the basket that gave the Bullets the lead for good in the final minute.
FOR THE FOES
• Vakaris Grauslys led the Diplomats with 26 points and four assists.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• After Josh Parra staked Franklin & Marshall to a 2-0 lead 1:14 into the game,
Carl Schaller and
Akim Joseph each canned triples for a 6-2 lead just 1:23 later. After Vakaris Grauslys responded with a triple to close the margin to one, Schaller hit a jumper and Joseph slammed one home for a 10-5 edge with 16:07 showing. Gettysburg built a lead as large as 22-15 before the Diplomats hit a pair of treys to get back within one with 8:31 to play. The teams traded points the rest of the way before two Grauslys free throws in the final minute of the half closed the Diplomat deficit to 38-36 at the intermission.
• Kevin Nowoswiat and Grauslys each hit a basket in the first 1:18 of the second half to turn the two-point deficit into a two-point lead. A
Jordan Stafford (Galloway, N.J./St. Joseph Hammonton) layup with 15:08 showing put Gettysburg back in front 44-42 but eight points from Nowoswiat keyed a 13-3 Franklin & Marshall spurt to open up a 55-47 lead with 11:33 on the clock. Six straight points from the Bullets trimmed the margin to two just over two minutes later.
• Gettysburg closed to within one five times over the next the next seven minutes until
Akim Joseph hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 2:00 to play for a 67-66 lead. Grauslys, however, responded with his own two free throws on the other end before Schaller and Parra traded short-range baskets for a 70-69 Franklin & Marshall lead with 1:09 to play. With 52.2 seconds showing, Joseph drove and tossed in a floater for a 71-70 edge. After a timeout,
Nate Williams (Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianney) canned both free throws with 23.4 seconds on the clock for a three-point lead. Grauslys drove and scored with 15.9 seconds remaining before Schaller hit the second of two free throws 1.8 seconds later for a two-point edge. The Diplomats could not convert a layup at the other end but the Bullets missed both free throws with 5.7 ticks left. However, the defense held and did not allow a good look to preserve the win.
THE INSIDE STORY
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Aidan Mess added 13 points and
Jordan Stafford contributed 11.
• The Bullets held a 36-26 rebounding advantage.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action at Ursinus on Saturday. Game time is 3 p.m.
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