Juskin, Lynch & Diplomats Rank Among Nation's Best in January 19 NCAA Men's Basketball Statistics

by Sports Information
1/21/04

LANCASTER, PA - Franklin & Marshall College is ranked among the nation's best Division III teams in the NCAA men's basketball statistics for games through January 18.

The Diplomats are ranked in scoring offense (81.3 ppg, 30th), scoring margin (14.9, 19th), field goal percentage (49.6%, 16th), rebound margin (7.1, 21st) and won-lost percentage (85.7%, 21st).

Individually, center Steve Juskin (Sr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) ranks third in the NCAA with 426 blocked shots per game, while forward Bob Lynch (Jr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) is 21st in field goal percentage (60.0).

A 2004 Street & Smith's Division III Preseason All-America Honorable Mention selection, he tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and a season high nine blocks to power the Diplomats in an 84-64 win over Washington College last week.

A 2003 All-Centennial Conference first team selection following a second team nod in 2002, and a D3hoops.com All-Mid Atlantic third team selection last year, he is the all-time blocked shots leader in Centennial Conference and Franklin & Marshall College history with 275, more than double the runner-up total of Asaf Ganot '03 (123). Further, Juskin ranks 15th in Conference history in scoring (1,211 points) and 12th in rebounding (632 boards).

Historically, he has combined with classmate Duran Searles (Sr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) to combine for 2,277 points in their four-yard careers. That total places the duo eighth among all CC pairs since 1994 as the "Diplomat Duo" is six points shy of surpassing Gettysburg's Curtis McNeil and Greg Schrieber '02 for seventh (2,282 points) and 25 markers shy of surpassing F&M's Jerome Maiatico and Mike Ritacco '00 for sixth place.

Through the first 14 games of 2003-04, he has tallied 191 points, 92 rebounds, 48 assists and 59 blocked shots as the Diplomats have opened the year 12-2, 7-0 in Centennial Conference play to rank #17 in the January 20 D3hoops.com national poll.

Starting for the first time in his high school or collegiate career, Lynch has been dynamic for the Diplomats averaging 16.0 points and 6.8 rebounds while maintaining a 14-game double-digit scoring streak.

In back-to-back games on January 16 and 17 at the Mayser Center, Lynch took over the building tallying 36 points and 16 rebounds as F&M handled Swarthmore (87-57 W) before routing Washington. Against the Shoremen, he tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds after registering 21 points and six boards against the Garnet the previous night.

The victories improved F&M's home record to 17-1 dating back to an 83-82 loss to eventual CC Champion Ursinus College on January 15, 2003, as the team is in the midst of a 10-0 run in Conference games in Mayser. In addition, Franklin & Marshall, which was upset by Elizabethtown 91-78 on November 25 at home, has not lost more than two games in a year at Mayser over the last three seasons. In 2001, the team's sole home loss came to Muhlenberg in the CC playoffs, while the 2002 team fell to Gettysburg in the CC title game. Last year, Methodist College stunned the team 80-75 in the season opener before the Bears escaped Lancaster with the team's only regular season home Conference loss since 2000.

Franklin & Marshall will continue the season on January 21 on the road at Dickinson College. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.