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LANCASTER, PA - Point guard Duran Searles (So., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) knocked down two clutch three-pointers in the final three minutes as the Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats improved to 11-0 on the year with a 67-59 win over Lincoln University of Pennsylvania in the first round of the Rotary Tip-Off the New Year Tournament in the Mayser Center. The historic win marks F&M's eleventh victory of the season (11-0, 2-0 Centennial Conference) as the 2001-02 edition of the Diplomats have jumped out to the best start in program history since a 19-0 run to open the 1995-96 season. In 1995-96, F&M rolled out to a 12-0 record on their way to an appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four. However, Muhlenberg College would break up the perfect season on February 7 with a 66-49 win in Allentown to break up a 42 game Conference winning streak which dated back to January 23, 1993 versus Lebanon Valley College. Historically, F&M's best all-time start is held by the 1994-95 Diplomats who jumped out to a 25-0 start to open the year to mark the most consecutive victories ever by an F&M basketball squad. F&M, which led 31-29 at halftime, would see its lead dwindle and eventually be eclipsed as the Lions built an 11-point lead with 9 minutes to play. However, F&M would slowly chip away at the lead until center Steve Juskin (So., East Hanover. NJ/Hanover Park) hit an off balance lay-in and converted a foul shot to put the Diplomats up 52-51 with 5:32 to play.
But Lincoln would answer back as Fareed Burton laid in a reverse to push the Lions in front 53-52 at 4:43. The lead would expand to three at 55-52 one minute and twenty seconds later as Shuaib Abdur-Rahman stroked a short jumper. The Diplomats would tie the game up 34 seconds later as Searles took a pass from Alex Kraft (Sr., Lansdale, PA/Lansdale Catholic) and connected on a rainbow three-pointer which tied the game at 55. Kraft would figure in F&M's next three points as he dished out a full court pass to a streaking Jackiem Wright (So., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) who hit a lay-up for a 57-55 lead with 2:21 to play. Kraft would later drain one-of-two foul shots at the 2:15 mark for the game-winning point. Kraft, who finished the game with seven points to inch closer to the all-time scoring record of 1,695 points held by Donnie Marsh '79, raised his career total to 1,406 points to become only the fifth F&M player in school history to record 1,400 points. Further, he moved within 94 points of joining Jeremiah Henry '96 (1,502 points), Will Lasky '92 (1,608), Terry Scott '88 (1,663) and But Lincoln would not go silently into the night as the Lions roared back when Lee Fowler knocked down a jumper from just inside the paint to cut the Diplomats lead to 58-57. However, Searles would answer as the drained an off-balance, one-foot insurance three-point shot from the top-of-the arch for a 61-47 lead with 1:06 to play. F&M would close the scoring at the 47 seconds mark as Wright took a Kraft pass and laid it in for a 63-57 final. A major key to the game for F&M was the all-around play of senior guard Larry Fain (Crum Lynne, PA/Chester), a second-year transfer from Division II Cheyney, who tallied his first double-double of the year with a game high 10 rebounds and 16 points, two off the game high of Searles who finished with 18 points in 29 minutes of play. With the win, F&M advances to face Clark University, which defeated Frostburg State 113-71. The game marked the most one-sided victory in Rotary Tournament competition since F&M defeated Eastern College 94-57 in the opening round of the 1996 tournament. In the game, five Clark players would reach double-digits, lead by Trevor Walker who connected on seven-of-ten field goal opportunities, including six-of-eight from three-point range. Overall, Clark converted 15-of-29 shots from long range, including 13-of-19 in the first half as the Cougars built a 66-35 lead at the half and never looked back. Frostburg's Pierre Bowery was the high man with 21 points and eight rebounds, including 13 points in the second half as the Bobcats held Clark to only two-of-10 from three point range in the second half. In action on January 4, Frostburg (5-5) will play Lincoln (1-9) at 6:00 p.m. in the consolation game, while Clark (8-2) and F&M (11-0) will meet in the title tilt at 8:00 p.m. The title game should be one for the ages as the Cougars have a storied history in the Rotary Tournament. In Rotary Tournament history, the Clark Cougars finished third in the 1990 tournament with an 85-72 win over Tufts in the consolation game following an 88-81 loss to Susquehanna in the first round. A clash of nationally ranked teams, the F&M- Clark final is a rematch of the 1983 final when Clark bounced Bethany, 73-66, and the Diplomats handled Rochester Polytechnic (RPI), 78-54. In the championship game, the Diplomats picked up a 73-64 win over the Cougars behind an MVP performance from J. Allen Taylor '83. In the game, the Diplomats came back from a 45-38 halftime deficit versus the favored Scarlets (as Clark was then known) behind 18 second half points from Taylor. After missing six of seven shots in the first half, Taylor scored 10 straight points on his way to a game high 22 as the Diplomats began the second half with a 19-7 spurt that saw them go from seven down to a 57-52 lead with 9:05 to play and take the nine point victory. Historically, Clark is 0-2 against Franklin & Marshall as the Diplomats picked up a 48-40 in Worcester, Massachusetts on December 11, 1940 in both teams' season opener. F&M would finish the year 16-3, tying with the 1951-52 team for the most wins in a season until the 1975-76 team of current head coach Glenn Robinson went 17-8 in 1975-76 to shatter the mark. Presented by Armstrong Industries, Inc., the 2002 Tip-Off the New Year Tournament is sponsored by the benefit of the Lancaster Community by the Rotary Club of Lancaster.
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