LANCASTER, PA - Elizabethtown College guard Kyle Conrad drained five-of-nine from the field and eight-of-10 at the foul line for 21 second half points as he finished with a game high 35 to lead the Blue Jays to a 91-78 upset of #18 Franklin & Marshall College in the Mayser Center.
Trailing 37-36 at halftime, Elizabethtown (2-1, 0-0 Middle Atlantic Conference) roared back to take the win as the Blue Jays made 25-of-29 second half free throw opportunities to the Diplomats' 15-of-19 performance at the charity stripe to outscore Franklin & Marshall College 55-41 in the second half.
Following a free throw by point guard Duran Searles (Sr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) to tie the game at 72-72 with 5:10 left on the clock, the Jays exploded on an 8-2 run as Ian Deacher drained back-to-back jumpers before Bob Lynch (Jr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) dropped in a lay-up to cut the Jays lead to 76-74 with 4:03 left on the clock. Deacher responded with a lay-up before Conrad chipped in a bucket for an 80-74 margin.
The Diplomats halved the lead as Lynch made both shots off a foul from Deacher before Jim Barron took over the game scoring the next six points to put Elizabethtown ahead 86-76 with 58 seconds left on the clock.
Following Lynch's foul shots, Barron converted on a lay-up opportunity before making all four shots off a pair of fouls b y Jackiem Wright (Sr., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) and Brandon Smith (So., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin).
Franklin & Marshall (2-1, 0-0 Centennial Conference) attempted to comeback as Smith drained a pair of foul shots off a foul by Darryl Brown, but Conrad dropped in one-of-two off a foul by Wright to put the lead at 87-78 with 47.3 seconds showing on the clock.
Smith attempted to cut the lead to six with 33 seconds to go, but his three point attempts was off the mark and rebounded by the Jays. Three seconds later, Searles fouled Barron who dropped in a pair of foul-shots to move the lead to 89-78 before Searles fouled Conrad who iced the game with a pair of free throws for the 91-78 final.
Overall, Deacher finished the game with 12 points and a game high 10 rebounds, while Barron chipped in 14 points and Greg Adams added 10.
For Franklin & Marshall, all five starters broke into double-digits in scoring. Center Steve Juskin (Sr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) led the way with 15 points, four blocks and eight rebounds, while Searles added 13 points and six assists. Wright chipped in 11 points with five assists, while Smith and Lynch dropped in 14 points apiece.
The keys to the game were free throw shooting, fouls and turnovers as the Jays made 32-of-37 at the charity stripe off 26 Franklin & Marshall College fouls. In turnovers Elizabethtown scored 25 points off 23 Diplomats' turnovers.
In the first half the game was all Franklin & Marshall as the Diplomats built a 15-3 lead behind six points from Lynch.
However, Elizabethtown cut the lead to 19-18 with a 15-4 run before Searles drove to the basket and made a free throw for a 21-18 lead with 9:36 left in the half.
The lead ballooned to 29-21 as Josh Fogg (So., Merrimacport, MA/Cushing Academy) dropped in a lay-up with 7:04 left until intermission to cap a 5-0 run. The Jays responded with a 6-0 run as Conrad, Dan Keane and Andrew Flynn made baskets to trail by two at 29-27 with 4:06 left in the half.
Following a lay-up by Fogg to push the lead to four, Greg Adams scored a lay-up and a three pointer in less than 25 seconds to give the Jays a 32-31 lead.
Fogg made both free throws off a foul by Keane before Searles corralled a loose ball and drained a three-pointer for a 35-32 F&M lead with 1:32 left in the half.
Conrad countered by making both free throws on a foul by Jeff Bright (Sr., Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) and converted a lay-up opportunity for a 36-35 Elizabethtown lead with 29 seconds to go. With time running down, Juskin connected on a lay-up with three seconds left in the half for a 37-36 Franklin & Marshall College lead at halftime.
The victory marks Elizabethtown's first win over the Diplomats since January 18, 2001 when the Jays defeated F&M 71-63 at Elizabethtown. Last year, Franklin & Marshall knocked off the Jays 81-78 in double overtime as Searles hit a three-pointer with five seconds left on the clock for the win.
Franklin & Marshall will continue the season on December 6 at Haverford College in the Diplomats' Centennial Conference season-opener. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.
