Box Score LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall defeated Delaware Valley 84-69 to win the 2014 Sponaugle New Years Tournament. The tournament title is the third straight for the Diplomats and 26th overall. F&M picked up its fifth-straight win and improved to 7-4 while the Aggies fell to 6-6.
With the score deadlocked at 4-4 three minutes into game, F&M went on a 19-9 run and took a 23-13 lead at 9:45. Del. Val. answered by outscoring F&M 13-3 over the next three minutes to come within five, 26-21, with seven minutes left in the half. The teams exchanged points throughout the final minutes of action with F&M leading 38-29 at the break.
The Diplomats quickly took at double-digit edge just under two minutes into the final stanza and went up 15 on a Morgan Lee jumper at 14:24. Del. Val. came within 11, 55-44, at 13:08 before the Diplomats countered with a 13-2 run for a 22-point lead, 68-46. F&M continued to lead by 20 on a Matt Porter jumper at 5:51 before the Aggies outscored F&M 10-2 to come within 12 with just 2:44 left in the game. F&M responded with clock management and a 5-2 spurt to close out the game and come away with the victory.
Porter had a team-high 20 points and earned Most Valuable Player honors. Jon Salandra made his way to the All-Tournament Team with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Terrel Phelps went 4-for-7 from behind arc and finished with 16 while Devin Figueroa finished with 10 for the Diplomats.
Nick Sullivan led all scorers with 21 points for the Aggies while Chris Moran finished with 17 and Francis Arnold netted 15.
F&M outshot Del. Val. 60-42 percent and held a commanding 41-27 edge on the glass.
The Diplomats return to conference action next week with a home contest against Swarthmore on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. before traveling to Washington on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. tip.
