LANCASTER, PA - Guard Brandon Chasen (Fr., Potomac, MD/Bullis School) made three-of-five from the field, including three-of-three from beyond the arc, for 11 points and forward Anthony Lacatena (Fr., Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) pulled down a team high 10 rebounds with six points and center Danny Lynch (Sr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists, corralled three steals and hit for 11 points to earn Most Valuable Player honors and key the #11 Franklin & Marshall College men's basketball team to a 73-68 win over #20 Gwynedd Mercy College in the title game of the 2005 Lancaster Rotary Tip-Off the New Year Basketball Classic.
Playing without preseason All-America forward Bobby Lynch (Sr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock), the Diplomats (7-1, 3-0 Centennial Conference) leaned on Lacatena, Lynch and Derek Hines (Fr., Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township) in the paint as the trio combined for 23 rebounds, including 15 defensive boards, 21 points, six assists and three steals to dominate the Griffins (8-2, 3-0 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) down the stretch.
Trailing 6-0 in the opening 90 seconds of the game, the Diplomats began to claw their way back into the contest as forward Brandon Smith (Jr., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) swished a three-pointer off an assist from Lynch before point guard Logan Outerbridge (So., Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) split the Gwynedd Mercy defense for a jumper to pull to within 6-5. The Griffins pushed their lead back to three points as Joe Kilpatrick made a put back, but All-Tournament guard Jackiem Wright (Sr., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) accepted a pass from Lynch and drained a three-pointer to knot the game at 8-8. GMC All-America center Badou Gaye countered with a lay-up to put the Griffins back in front 10-8, but Wright hit a jumper to again knot the game and ignite a 6-0 run with back-to-back lay-ups by Lynch for a 14-10 lead with 14:30 left in the half. Overall, the run put the Diplomats in front to stay as the Griffins failed to tie the game or take the lead for the remainder of the contest.
Down by four points, Gaye thundered back as he threw down a dunk to pull GMC to within two at 14-12, but Lynch responded with a line-drive three-pointer before Outerbridge swished a trey for a 20-12 lead as F&M pushed the lead out to 25-14 with 10:07 left until intermission.
Leading 27-17, F&M saw its lead chipped away at by GMC as Gaye made a free-throw and a jumper before Chris DelBrocco connected on a trey to move the Griffins to within 27-22 with 7:00 left in the first half.
However, Lynch countered with a lay-up before DelBrocco answered with a three-pointer to put the game at 29-25. Chasen insured an F&M lead at halftime as he shook his defender and drove a three-pointer through the net to move the margin to seven points before Courtney Griffin and Smith traded lay-ups for a 34-27 Franklin & Marshall lead at the break.
The Diplomats wasted little time expanding on the lead in the second half as Outerbridge swished a three-pointer 72 seconds into the second frame to move the lead to 10 points.
However, the GMC defense stiffened and offense exploded as the Griffins reeled off a 9-0 run behind four points from Gaye to move to within 37-36 with 14:38 remaining on the game clock.
Needing a bucket to keep the lead, F&M turned to Lynch who tipped in a put back for a 39-36 lead. Gwynedd Mercy again pulled to within a point at 42-41 following a lay-up by Griffin with 10:56 to go. F&M responded as Lacatena drove to the basket for a lay-up and a foul shot for a 45-41 lead before Frank Barder made three free throws after being fouled on a trey attempt to keep the game at a point (45-44) with 10:32 on the clock. However, Lacatena repeated his play driving to the hoop for a lay-up and a free throw off a foul by Joe Kilpatrick for a 48-44 lead with 10:24 left.
Fifty seconds following Lacatena's second three point play, Hines hit a turnaround jumper to push the lead to six points before drawing a defensive and an offensive foul on Gaye.
Wright hit a free throw to go ahead 51-44 with 8:27 left, but Gaye threw down a dunk and Griffin hit a lay-up to draw their team to within 51-48. Again, Wright responded knocking down his second trey of the game for a 54-48 lead with 7:13 to go.
Gaye hit a lay-up, but missed a free-throw, nine seconds later for a 54-50 deficit, but Outerbridge hit a pair of free throws for a six point lead with 5:52 left on the game clock.
Following a free throw by Rashid Santiago, Hines beat Gaye for a lay-up to push the lead back to seven points at 58-51.
The teams traded points as Kilpatrick made a put back attempt before Wright hit a pair of free throws for a 60-53 game with 4:25 left.
GMC caught a break on F&M's next possession as Wright was whistled for an offensive foul as DelBrocco took the inbounds pass the length of the court for a three-pointer to pull the Griffins to within four at 60-56 with 3:08 remaining.
Chasen then took over the game draining back-to-back three pointers in 22 seconds to turn a narrow four point lead into a seven point margin with 2:22 left on the game clock.
Again, GMC caught a break at 2:16 as Lynch was whistled for his fifth personal foul to take the senior postman out of the game and leave Gaye in the hands of Lacatena.
Leading 66-60 with less than 100 seconds to play, F&M saw its lead shaved to three points as DelBrocco canned a trey with 1:34 showing on the clock.
Franklin & Marshall's victory turned on one play with 48 seconds remaining as Hines pulled down an offensive rebound off a missed shot by Wright and passed the ball out to the top of the key to run more time out the clock and force Kilpatrick to foul Outerbridge.
The F&M point guard made both shots to move the lead out to 68-63 with 36.6 seconds to go before Gaye dunked at 28.8 to pull his team to a 68-65 deficit. Chasen and Wright did the rest as the freshman made a pair of free throws and Wright converted on three-of-four at the charity stripe for the 73-68 final.
The keys to the game were F&M's shooting, defense and rebounding as the Diplomats held a 398-36 advantage on the boards, including a 13-7 margin in offensive rebounds, and a 17-23 lead in turnovers, while connecting on 37.5% from the field (24-of-64), 42.3% from beyond the arc (11-of-26) and 82.4% at the line (14-of-17) while Gwynedd Mercy hit 51.9% (27-of-52) of its field goals, 50.0% (four-of-eight) from beyond the arc and 47.6% (10-of-21) at the charity stripe.
Overall, five Diplomats finished in double digits for scoring as Wright (16), Outerbridge (14), Smith (11), Lynch (11) and Chasen (11) carried the load down the stretch in the win.
For the Griffins, Gaye finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots in 34 minutes to earn All-Tournament honors, while DelBrocco chipped in 14 points as the pair were the only GMC players to break into double digits.
The game marked the second meeting between Gwynedd Mercy and Franklin & Marshall in men's basketball following a 92-74 win by the Diplomats in the 2004 NCAA "Sweet 16" at the Mayser Center.
In the tournament consolation game, Sal Clark netted 19 points, while Jared Weir chipped in six points to earn All-Tournament honors to lead the SUNY-Old Westbury Panthers (5-8) to a 61-45 win over John Jay College (2-9).
For the Bloodhounds, Marinkno Djokic recorded a team high 11 points and Sharod Tomlinson added nine points to earn All-Tournament honors to round out the All-Tournament field.
Franklin & Marshall (7-1, 3-0 CC) will continue the season on January 6 at home versus Goucher College. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Rotary Club is an organization of business and ethical persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
The object of the Rotary Club is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise, and in particular, to encourage and foster: (1) the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; (2) high ethical standards in business and professions; (3) the application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his personal, business and community life; (4) the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Presented by Lancaster General Hospital, Herley Industries, 1490 WLPA Am, 101 WROZ FM and Smooth Jazz 92.7 FM, the 2005 Tip-Off the New Year Tournament was sponsored in the benefit of the Lancaster Community by the Rotary Club of Lancaster.
2005 Lancaster Rotary Basketball Classic All-Tournament Team
MVP - Danny Lynch, F&M
Jackiem Wright, F&M
Badou Gaye, GMC
Ian Johnson, SUNY-Old Westbury
Sharod Tomlinson, John Jay
