LANCASTER, PA - Dickinson College's Matt Keys made seven-of-10 from beyond the arc as the Red Devils converted on 32-of-53 shots from the floor (60.4%), including 13-of-22 (59.1%) from beyond the arc, to outlast #23 Franklin & Marshall College 94-90 in Centennial Conference men's basketball action.
Leading 40-39 at halftime following a first half in which the team shot 16-of-29 from the field (55.2%), six-of-12 from long range (50.0%) and two-for-two at the charity stripe, the Devils turned up the heat draining 16-of-24 from the floor (66.7%), seven-of-10 from beyond the arc (70.0%) and 15-of-18 at the free throw line (83.3%) to outscore the Diplomats 54-51 down the stretch for the four point win.
Overall, Brad Litchfield led the way for Dickinson as he finished with 27 points off seven-of-18 shooting, including four-of-eight from beyond the arc, and nine-of-nine at the free throw line for a game high 27 points. Keys added 22 points, including a one-for-two performance at the free-throw line, while Jon Skvarka chipped in 10 points and six rebounds and Travis Doll notched 14 points and a game high seven boards for the Devils.
Forward Bryan Teschke (So., Pittsburgh, PA/Fox Chapel) scored 24 points to lead Franklin & Marshall, while forward Brandon Smith (Jr., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) netted 23, guard Jackiem Wright (Sr., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) added 15 and Danny Lynch (Sr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) chipped in 12 points and a team high six rebounds.
The Devils took an early lead in the game as Litchfield, Keys and Jimmy Martelli drained three-pointers in the first 70 seconds of play to post Dickinson to a 9-0 lead. F&M chipped away at the margin to tie the game at 13-13 with 13:43 left in the first half as Smith hit a jumper.
The teams traded baskets before Dickinson reeled off a 7-0 run to take a 24-17 lead with 8:59 left until halftime. Trailing 28-19 with 8:08 left on the first half clock, the Diplomats stormed back with a 10-0 run fueled by lay-ups from Teschke, Smith and a pair of buckets by point guard Brandon Chasen (Fr., Potomac, MD/Bullis) to take a 29-28 lead with 4:28 remaining.
Dickinson countered as Litchfield and Doll put home baskets for a 32-29 lead before Teschke made a lay-up and Lynch made a pair of free-throws to put F&M back in front 33-32 with 3:27 remaining in the half.
Following a jumper by Skvarka to give the Red Devils a 34-33 lead, Smith dropped in a pair of lay-ups at 2:40 and 1:16 to put F&M in front 37-34. However, Litchfield drained a trey to knot the game at 37-37 with :46 left before Teschke made a pair of free throws at the :33.5 mark for a 39-37 F&M lead. Facing the halftime horn, Keys fired a three-pointer with four seconds remaining in the half that went for a 40-39 Dickinson lead at the break.
The Diplomats trailed for eight seconds to open the second half as Teschke made a lay-up and a foul shot off a hit by Skvarka to put the Diplomats back in front 42-40.
Leading 46-43, F&M saw the lead evaporate as Keys knocked down a three-pointer before Smith made a lay-up for a 48-46 Diplomats' lead with 17:15 left on the game clock.
Tied 50-50, the Diplomats and Devils traded treys as Wright banked in a jumper from downtown and Keys swished a three-pointer from the top of the arc for a 53-53 game with 15:22 remaining in regulation.
F&M exploded on a 5-0 run as Wright knocked down another three-pointer and Teschke converted a lay-up to go ahead 58-53 with 14:20 on the clock.
Dickinson fought back trimming the lead to 63-61 before Skvarka hit a three-pointer to put the Devils back in front 64-63 with 9::09 on the clock.
Franklin & Marshall countered with an 8-2 run to take a five point lead at 71-66 with 8:12 to go, but Doll hit a lay-up and a free throw off a foul to put Dickinson back in front 74-73 at the 6:14 mark.
Following a jumper by Wright at 4:21 to put F&M ahead 79-78, Keys drilled a three-pointer from the top of the arc to put Dickinson in front to stay at 81-79 as the Devils closed the game making eight-of-10 at the free throw line while Dan Scarsfield and Skvarka hit jumpers for the 94-90 final score.
The Diplomats had chances to tie the score or take the lead down the stretch as Wright drained a three-pointer at the :30 mark to pull Franklin & Marshall to within four points. However, a pair of missed shots led to fouls and pairs of free throws for Litchfield who converted on his opportunities to push the lead out to 92-84 with 14.9 seconds left on the clock.
Teschke attempted to draw F&M within striking distance as he made a three-pointer at the 6.9 seconds mark to trail 92-87. However, Litchfield made the final pair of his team's free throws count with 4.9 seconds left to push the lead out to seven points at 94-87 before F&M's Logan Outerbridge (So., Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) swished a three-pointer with one second remaining on the game clock for the 94-90 final score.
The victory marks the first for Dickinson over Franklin & Marshall since a 93-89 victory in the consolation game of the 1998 Moravian College Greyhound Classic in Bethlehem on January 10, 1998 as the win snaps a 14-game win streak by the Diplomats against Dickinson. The last time the Red Devils knocked off Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster occurred on January 22, 1997 as Dickinson held on for a 53-51 win in the Mayser Center.
In addition, the loss marks the first time the Diplomats have allowed 90+ points in the Mayser Center since a 96-90 overtime loss to Muhlenberg on February 10, 1999, and the most points in a regulation game since a 93-82 loss to Alvernia College on November 23, 1996 in the Sponaugle Classic championship game.
Franklin & Marshall (11-4, 6-2 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on January 22 at Haverford College. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.
