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LANCASTER, PA - Guard Duran Searles (Jr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) and forward Bob Lynch (So., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) scored 17 points and Asaf Ganot (Sr., Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly) added 12 points and 10 rebounds as the #20 nationally ranked Franklin & Marshall College men's basketball team handled Hobart College, 89-74. The game was all F&M in the final 38:51 as Hobart's Joe Corbett laid in a basket to give the Statesman a 2-0 lead 52 seconds into the game. However, the Diplomats responded with a 14-2 run beginning at the 18:51 mark as Jackiem Wright (Jr., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) connected on a three-pointer for the first of his 14 points in the game. Following a free throw by center Steve Juskin (Jr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park), Hobart tied the game at 4-4 when Corbett put back a shot. It was the last time the two teams were tied as Searles connected on a three-pointer to ignite a 10-0 run. Hobart cut the lead to six, but back-to-back baskets by Lynch and Juskin pushed the lead back to 10 on the way to a 58-30 lead at halftime. In the first half, the Diplomats dominated from the field converting 23-of-34 field goal attempts for a 67.6 shooting percentage. From long range, F&M converted six-of-11 three-point field goal attempts, including three-of-four by Searles, while holding Hobart to 11-of-31 from the field (35.5%) and one-of-eight from beyond the arch (12.5%). In the second half, early foul trouble allowed the Statesmen to climb back into the game as F&M committed 15 fouls to allow Hobart to convert 18-of-24 from the free-throw line. The Statesmen cut the Diplomats lead to 15-points at 86-71 with 3:32 left on the clock, but Franklin & Marshall's Lynch scored three points down the stretch to match Hobart's offensive output for the 89-74 victory. Searles and Lynch led the Diplomats with 17 points, while Ganot chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double as F&M improved to 6-1, 1-0 in Centennial Conference play. Overall, five players reached double-digits for F&M as Juskin added 15 points and Wright tallied 14. Defensively, Franklin & Marshall limited Hobart to 23-of-61 from the field (37.7%) and three-of-13 from beyond the arch (23.1%) as the team registered 10 blocked shots, including four by Juskin and three by Ganot. On offense, the Diplomats drained 34-of-60 field goal opportunities (56.7%) and nine-of-17 (52.9%) from long range. For Hobart, Corbett finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Davidek Herron added 17 points and 10 boards as the Statesmen fall to 1-4 on the year. The key to the game was turnovers as Hobart committed six in the first half, while F&M lost two possessions in the midst of building a 28-point lead at intermission thanks to four steals leading to baskets. Franklin & Marshall (6-1, 1-0 Centennial Conference) will return to action on January 3 when they play host to non-conference foe St. Mary's College of Maryland in the opening round of the Lancaster Rotary Tip-Off the New Year Basketball Tournament. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Mayser Center.
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