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LANCASTER, PA - Center Steve Juskin (So., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) made history in the Mayser Center against Elizabethtown College as he blocked 10 shots, scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for only the second double-double in F&M history as the Diplomats survived a scare from Elizabethtown College in a 83-80 win. Down by as many as seven in the first half, F&M would rally from a 39-38 halftime deficit behind the 6-6 center. Juskin, who scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in the first half, would dominate the Bluejays in the second half tallying seven of his game high 10 blocked shots while scoring 10 points and corralling 9 rebounds as the Diplomats outscored Elizabethtown 45-41 down the stretch. Leading the charge was point guard Duran Searles (So., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) who registered 19 points, three steals and three assists in 35 minutes, while guard Larry Fain (Sr., Crum Lynne, PA/Chester) knocked down five of six from the free throw line and three of 10 from the field, including two of three from beyond the arc, as the Diplomats. For Juskin, the triple-double was the second of his career as he is the only player in Franklin & Marshall College men's basketball history to accomplish the feat even once. On January 31st, he scored 14 points, ripped down 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists to record the first known triple-double in Franklin & Marshall history in a 90-48 romp over Western Maryland College in the Mayser Center Further, his tally obliterated the previous best of 8 blocked shots held by Vince Hill from a game against Muhlenberg College during the 1972-73 season as he now has 10 in three games, just 43 behind the single season record of 53 set by Darren Sanborn during the 1995-96 season. In addition, the Diplomats would reset the team single game record for most blocked shots with 16 against the Bluejays, as Searles added one, Cas Thomas (Sr., Neshaminy, PA/Neshaminy) registered three and Asaf Ganot (Jr., Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly) chipped in two. The performance erased the mark of 13 held by the Diplomats from last season's game against Western Maryland as Juskin blocked six, while Ganot added five for F&M, as the Diplomats denied 13 Terror shots. The key to the game for F&M was defense and preventing Elizabethtown from drawing free points off foul-shots. In the first half, Elizabethtown would commit eight fouls and allow F&M seven free-throw attempts, as the Diplomats made six to cut into a six point Elizabethtown lead with three minutes to play. On the other side of the court, F&M would commit only five fouls in the first half and permitted no free throw opportunities to force the Bluejays to score from the floor and not from the line in the first twenty minutes. Using a running style of offense, Elizabethtown would wear down in the second half as the Diplomats applied defensive pressure to limit the Bluejays to a 31 percent shooting average in the second half after allowing Elizabethtown to convert 60.7% of their field goals in the first half. On three-pointers, F&M would limit Elizabethtown's looks as the Bluejays would connect on two-of-12 from long distance in the second half after shooting five of seven in the first half. F&M would record the opposite pattern as they were four-of-nine in the first half, but converted four-of-four opportunities in the second half due to one-of-one performances by Searles, Thomas, Kraft and Fain. Elizabethtown's Chad Heller was high man for the Bluejays as he connected on six of 10 from the field and four of four at the foul-line for 17 points and four steals in 36 minutes of play. Bob Porambo notched 13 rebounds, and John English 11 as Elizabethtown was outrebounded by the Diplomats 42-41. Franklin & Marshall (3-0, 0-0 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on November 23-24 at the Gallaudet Tournament in Washington D.C. with Averett, the University of the Sciences and Gallaudet. The Diplomats are scheduled to open the tournament at 6:00 p.m. on Friday against Averett, and will then compete in either the consolation or championship game on Saturday at either 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m., respectively. F&M will return to the Mayser Center on November 28 to face the Wesley College Wolverines at 8:00 p.m.
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