LANCASTER, PA -- Center Steve Juskin (Sr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) tallied 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight blocked shots and six assists to barely miss the first quadruple-double in Franklin & Marshall College men's basketball history as the Diplomats routed 2003 Centennial Conference Champion Ursinus College 108-71 in the Mayser Center.
The first meeting since the Bears (6-5, 2-2 Centennial Conference) upset the Diplomats (9-2, 4-0 Centennial Conference) 96-88 in overtime for the Centennial Conference Championship last year, Juskin dominated Ursinus from the opening whistle to the closing horn hitting 11-of-16 from the floor, one-of-two from beyond the arc and six-of-seven at the charity stripe, while grabbing two offensive and eight defensive boards to key a Diplomats' team which connected on 56.1% of their field goal attempts (37-of-66).
Trailing 9-5 1:56 into the game, the Diplomats defense' did in the Bears as Franklin & Marshall held Ursinus without a point for over six minutes before Bret Jenkins converted a pair of field goals for a 17-11 F&M lead.
The key to the game occurred in the opening minutes of the first half as Juskin scored F&M's first nine points.
Following a jumper by Naquan Williams for a 2-0 Ursinus lead seven seconds into the game, Juskin knocked down the first of his four straight field goals. Division III leading scorer Dennis Stanton answered Juskin with a field goal and a three-pointer for a 7-2 Bears' margin at the 18:39 mark, but the 6-6 senior responded drilling an NBA range trey from the top of the key 13 seconds later to slice the Bears lead to 7-5.
Again Ursinus fired back as Will Furey made a bucket for a 9-5 Bears' lead at 18:04. The points marked Ursinus' last until Jenkins' free throws as Juskin knocked down back-to-back short jumpers at 17:46 and 17:16 to tie the game and ignite a 12-0 Diplomats' run.
Following an Ursinus turnover, Juskin took a pass and found an open Brandon Smith (So., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) who drained a trey for a 12-9 F&M lead. Smith added the margin as he split the Bears' defense for lay-ups at 14:41 and 12:14, and chipped in a free-throw courtesy a foul by Stanton on the second shot for a 17-9 margin.
Jenkins converted on his free-throws to slice the Diplomats' lead to six, but it was the closest Ursinus would come to Franklin & Marshall for the remainder of the game as F&M responded with a 7-0 run capped by a floating jumper by Juskin at 9:50 for a 24-11 lead.
The Diplomats closed out the half trading points with the Bears as Franklin & Marshall entered the locker room leading 41-27.
Overall, Juskin was dominant in the first half dropping in 17 points on seven-of-11 shooting with four rebounds and seven blocked shots in 19 minutes of play as he anchored a Diplomats' defense which stifled the Bears' offense regularly during the half.
The game grew worse for Ursinus in the second half as F&M opened the final 20 minutes on a 12-6 run over the four minutes capped by a lay-up by Duran Searles (Sr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) for a 53-33 lead.
Ursinus attempted a comeback attempt as Stanton drained an off-balance three and knocked down four free-throws to cap a 7-3 run to move within 16 at 56-40 with 14 minutes to play.
However, Juskin and Searles took over the game as Searles tallied a three-pointer to energize the Franklin & Marshall offense for a 12-0 run over the next two minutes in which Juskin netted seven points and Searles dropped in five for a 68-40 lead.
The two teams traded baskets before Stanton banked in a three-pointer for a 70-49 deficit with 10:47 to go. The points ignited another Diplomats' run as Searles made a free-throw and Smith drilled back-to-back three-pointers for a 77-49 lead at 9:51 as Franklin & Marshall coasted the rest of the way for the 37-point victory.
Overall, five Diplomats broke into double digits in scoring as Searles finished the game with 14 points and five assists, while Smith added 18 points and forward Bobby Lynch (Jr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) tallied 19 points and six rebounds. Off the bench, guard Logan Outerbridge (Fr., Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) had a break out game making five-of-eight from the floor, including three-of-six from long range, in 23 minutes of play as the F&M bench outscored their Ursinus' counterparts 25-12, including an 18-10 advantage in the second half.
For Ursinus, Stanton made nine-of-20 field goal attempts, six-of-15 three-pointers and 13-of-15 at the free-throw line for a game high 37 points and six turnovers. Joe Scholz chipped in eight points and a team high seven rebounds, while Will Furey and Luke Marlow added six points apiece in the effort for the Bears.
The key to the game was turnovers as Ursinus committed 20 which Franklin & Marshall cashed in for 33 Diplomats' points, while Ursinus registered six points off nine turnovers by F&M. Statistically, of F&M's turnovers, five came in the final eight minutes of play in the game as Franklin & Marshall controlled the ball for the majority of the game.
Franklin & Marshall College will return to action on January 13 at Muhlenberg College. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Allentown.
