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LANCASTER, PA - Franklin & Marshall College sophomore center Steve Juskin (East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) blocked four shots to reset the single season and career blocked shot records as the Diplomats held off Johns Hopkins to clinch the Western Division's #1 seed for the Centennial Conference playoffs. Juskin would make history by blocked a Steve Adams shot in the second half for his 54th block of the year and the 104th of his career as the sophomore swatting sensation erased the single and career records. Previously, Darren Sanborn '98 held the single season record of 53 from the 1995-96 season, while All-American Chris Finch '92 held the career mark of 102. Overall, Juskin has set the single game (10 versus Elizabethtown, 11/20/02), season and career blocked shot records during the 2001-02 season. Offensively, he shot 8-of-15 to finish with 20 points and four rebounds in 34 minutes as the Diplomats outlasted Hopkins. Leading 34-30 at halftime behind a 14-of-27 shooting performance from the floor in the first half, the Diplomats would never trail in the second half while outscoring the Blue Jays 27-24. With 1:22 left on the clock and Hopkins trailing 53-49, point guard Duran Searles (So., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) picked up a loose ball and hit a jumper from the top of the lane for the winning points and a 55-49 lead. Searles finished with 13 points and five assists. From beyond the three-point arch, he shot three of five, including one-of-two down the stretch in the second half, as the Diplomats finished four-of-12 from long range in the game. Hopkins, which drained four-of-seven three-point field goals in the first half, would go cold in the second half stroking two-of-12 (16.7%) and converted just eight-of-28 field goal attempts (28.6%). Defensively, F&M shined as guard Asaf Ganot (Jr., Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly) tallied the third most blocked shots in an F&M basketball game as he swatted seven, one behind Vince Hill who blocked eight in a game versus Muhlenberg College in 1973 and three behind Juskin's school record. On the glass, Ganot tallied a team high six rebounds, while Cas Thomas (Sr., Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) chipped in five rebounds and 10 points. In the second half, F&M's offense would revolve around Thomas as the senior forward converted two-of-three field goal attempts and shot four-of-six at the foul line for eight points. Steve Adams registered 13 points and seven rebounds to lead Hopkins. Jay Kreider added 10 points as the Blue Jays closed their season 15-9, 9-4 in the Centennial Conference. F&M, which entered their matchup with Hopkins in a do-or-die situation, will now have homecourt advantage throughout the Centennial Conference playoffs as the highest remaining seed in the Western Division will host the title game. The Diplomats picked up the #1 seed due to a 75-66 comeback home victory by Dickinson College over Gettysburg in Carlisle. Dickinson, which trailed 40-29 at halftime, would outscore the Bullets 46-26 in the second half to hand F&M its sixth Centennial Conference Western Division crown. Entering the final regular season game of the year, Gettysburg held an advantage for the #1 seed over F&M as the Bullets swept Johns Hopkins University, a team that defeated the Diplomats 68-61 in Baltimore. However, Dickinson's Billy Hagan scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the decisive second half as Dickinson stormed back from an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Gettysburg. Hagan went 6-for-7 from the floor while playing all 20 minutes in the second half and converted the go-ahead three-point play with 1:55 remaining to help the Red Devils (13-12, 7-6 CC) play the spoiler's role to perfection. F&M (21-4, 11-2 CC), which picked up its 16th 20-win season with a 63-61 win at Dickinson on February 13, would have missed the Conference playoffs entirely if Gettysburg defeated Dickinson and Hopkins knocked off the Diplomats in the Mayser Center. Gettysburg, the 2001 Centennial Conference Champions, will now travel to Eastern Division #1 seed Muhlenberg (19-5, 10-3 CC) for an 8:00 p.m. game versus the Mules in Allentown. The game is a rematch of last year's CC title tilt as Gettysburg upset the Mules in the title game to claim their first Centennial Conference championship. Ironically, the playoffs are an Eastern Conference flip-flop of last year's scenario in which #1 seeded F&M hosted #2 Muhlenberg, while #2 Gettysburg traveled to #1 Ursinus. F&M will return to action on Wednesday, February 20 versus #2 Eastern Division seed Ursinus College at 8:00 p.m. in the Mayser Center.
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