LANCASTER, PA - Bobby Lynch (Jr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) dropped in 24 points, including sixteen in the second half, as the #19 nationally ranked Franklin & Marshall College men's basketball team overcame a furious Gettysburg College comeback attempt to drop the Bullets 74-72 in Centennial Conference play at the Mayser Center.
Leading 33-24 at halftime, the Diplomats (4-1, 2-0 Centennial Conference) pushed their lead out to 10 points at 39-27 with 18:06 left to play before the Bullets (4-2, 1-1 Centennial Conference) chipped away at the margin to move within 47-46 as David Glaser hit a lay-up. Gettysburg took their first lead of the game 58 seconds later as Kyle Jakobe banked in a shot to put the Bullets in front 48-47 with 11:06 to go.
The Diplomats battled back to tie the game at 51-51, before Jakobe arched in a three-pointer with 9:04 left to go ahead by three. The lead grew to four as Todd Brady made the back-end of a pair of free throws before Brandon Smith (So., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) drained a trey from the left corner to slice the lead to 55-54 with 8:15 showing on the clock.
However, Jakobe answered on the Bullets' next possession as he hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc to move back ahead by four at 58-54.
Jackiem Wright (Sr., Wrightsville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) answered back for F&M as he knocked down an NBA range three to trail 58-57 with 7:28 to go before Lynch took over the game to lead the Diplomats to the win.
Following a missed Gettysburg shot, Lynch was fouled while pursuing the defensive rebound by Brady to go to the line where he made the front-end of a pair of shots at the charity stripe to tie the game at 58 all.
The Bullets retook the lead as Dami Oloruntoba made the back-end of a pair of free-throws with 5:55 to go before Lynch split the Bullets' defense and converted on an off-balance lay-up and foul shot courtesy a penalty by Oloruntoba for a 61-59 Diplomats' lead with 5:38 on the game clock.
But, again the Bullets fired back as Brady drained a three-pointer for a 62-61 Gettysburg lead before Lynch knocked down a pair of free-throws off a foul by Glaser for a 63-62 Franklin & Marshall margin.
Lynch hit another lay-up with 4:00 on the clock before Jakobe drained the fifth of his game high five three-pointers to tie the game at 65 all with 3:31 to go.
However, Lynch again dominated the game working the Bullets' defense for an easy lay-up for a 67-65 lead to put the Diplomats' ahead for good before fouling Oloruntoba who made the front-end of a pair of free throws. Following the miss, Lynch corralled the rebound and sprinted down the court before hitting preseason All-America center Steve Juskin (Sr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) with an assist for a bucket and a 69-66 Franklin & Marshall lead with 2:22 showing on the clock. Lynch next added a lay-up with 1:45 left to push the lead to 71-66.
Eleven seconds following the basket, Wright fouled Brady who missed the front end of a one-and one. The Bullets had a chance to move within three as Smith fouled Brady who made two foul shots to bring Gettysburg within 71-68 with 51 seconds to go.
Running the clock down on their next possession, the Diplomats could not convert on a shot as Lynch fouled Jakobe to prevent the shooter from lifting off for another three-pointer. Following consecutive free-throws in which their lead dwindled to 71-70 with 13.9 seconds left on the clock, the Diplomats inbounded the ball to Wright who was fouled immediately by Jakobe.
Among the most accurate free-throw shooters in Conference history, Wright drained both shots to go ahead 73-70 with 13 seconds on the clock. The Bullets raced down the court but could not muster a three-point attempt as the Franklin & Marshall defense stiffened to force Glaser into a lay-up for a 73-72 F&M lead with four seconds to go.
On the inbounds play, Jakobe again fouled Wright who missed the first of two foul shots, but made the second, for a 74-72 Diplomats lead.
Inbounding the ball with 3.2 seconds on the clock and a hot-shooter in Jakobe, the Bullets attempted to pass the ball to halfcourt before dishing a pass to their leading shooter, but Lynch came up and stole the pass at the "F&M" logo in the center of the Mayser Center court to seal the win as the Diplomats remain in first place in the Centennial Conference.
Overall, Lynch led the way for the Diplomats connecting on nine-of-11 from the field and six-of-seven at the charity stripe with seven rebounds. Smith added 18 points off six-of-nine shooting, including three-of-six from long range, with three free throws, while Wright dropped in 16 off five-of-10 from the field and three-of-eight from three-point range.
Defensively, Juskin dominated the Bullets' shooters blocking seven shots with five rebounds and six points in 37 minutes. Duran Searles (Sr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) added eight and guard Cy Galvin (So., Oceanport, NJ/Shore Regional) chipped in two points to account for all of Franklin & Marshall's scoring.
For Gettysburg, Jakobe and Glaser tied for the team lead with 19 points, while Oloruntoba and Brady added 14 and 11, respectively.
A member of the Diplomats in 2002 which lost to Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference title game in Mayser as a freshman, Jakobe scorched Franklin & Marshall by shooting six-of-seven from the field, including five-of-six from long range, for a career high 19 points.
The key to the game was turnovers as the Bullets committed 11 to the Diplomats' eight, including an eight-to-three deficit in the first half in which Franklin & Marshall built a 29-16 lead before Gettysburg cut the lead by four to trail by nine at intermission.
Franklin & Marshall will continue the season on December 13 on the road at Lebanon Valley College. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.
