Ganot Earns MVP Honors as Diplomats Cage DeSales Bulldogs, 70-60

by Sports Information
3/9/03

LANCASTER, PA - Guard Asaf Ganot (Sr., Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly) scored 11 points and pulled down six boards to earn Most Valuable Player honors as the Franklin & Marshall College men's basketball team used 10-2 run to open the second half to hold off DeSales University, 70-60.

Tied at 30 to start the second half, Ganot drained a three pointer from the top of the arc 32 seconds into the half to put the Diplomats ahead and ignite a 10-2 run to take a 40-32 lead. DeSales cut the lead to three at 44-41 off a three pointer by David Spadt, but point guard Duran Searles (Jr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) answered with a trey of his own and Ganot converted on a driving lay-up to push the lead back to 49-41 as the Bulldogs failed to cut the lead below five the rest of the way.

Trailing 59-48 with 4:41 left on the clock, Jim Zinn hit the first of back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Diplomats lead to 59-54. However, Steve Juskin (Jr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) stroked a jumper and Ganot corralled a steal at half court which he dished off to Searles for a basket and a free throw off a foul by Joe Teprovich to take a 64-54 lead with 1:56 to go in the game.

Following three consecutive fouls by the Bulldogs, guard Jackiem Wright (Jr., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) made two-of-two at the charity stripe to build a 66-54 lead. DeSales closed the gap to 66-58 before Ganot made two-of-two at the line to seal the game.

For the Diplomats, Searles led the team in scoring with 14 points off five-of-10 from the field, while forwards Frank Hughes (Sr., Annapolis, MD/US Naval Academy) and Bob Lynch (So., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) added 10 and 12 points, respectively as Franklin & Marshall improves to 25-5. The record marks the first time the Diplomats have recorded 25 wins since the 2000 Final Four team finished 25-7. Overall, the 2003 squad is only the 10th in the 100 years of basketball at the College to finish with 25 or more wins as only the 1979 (27-5), 1981 (26-3), 1989 (27-3), 1991 (28-3), 1992 (26-4), 1994 (26-2), 1995 (27-2), 1996 (29-3), 2000 have recorded 25+ wins in a season.

In addition, Juskin finished the game with five blocked shots to raise his single season number to 108 and his career total to 216 to establish the new Centennial Conference record for most blocks in a career.

Zinn led DeSales in scoring with 24 points on nine-of-18 from the field, including six-of-10 from long range, while David Bright chipped in 10 points.

Historically, the title marks F&M's second ECAC Championship in as many years as the Diplomats defeated Lebanon Valley (71-59) in the semifinals and Kings College (82-65) in the championship game to claim the title last year at the Mayser Center.

F&M now holds a 3-0 advantage over DeSales in the all-time series with victories in 1981 and 1994. In their last meeting, the Diplomats handled the then Allentown College Centaurs 88-57 in the title game of the 1994 Rotary Tip-Off the New Year Tournament at the Mayser Center.