Juskin, Lynch & Diplomats Rank Among Nation's Best in January 25 NCAA Men's Basketball Statistics

by Sports Information
1/28/04

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 25.

The Diplomats are ranked in scoring offense (81.3 ppg, 33rd), scoring defense (64.4 ppg, 48th), scoring margin (16.8, 13th), field goal percentage (49.3%, 20th), rebound margin (7.9, 17th) and won-lost percentage (87.5%, 14th).

Individually, center Steve Juskin (Sr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) ranks fourth in the NCAA with 3.9 blocked shots per game, while forward Bob Lynch (Jr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) is ninth in field goal percentage (63.1).

A 2004 Street & Smith's Division III Preseason All-America Honorable Mention selection, and a D3hoops.com All-Mid Atlantic third team selection last year, Juskin is the all-time blocked shots leader in Centennial Conference and Franklin & Marshall College history with 279, more than double the runner-up total of Asaf Ganot '03 (123).

Further, Juskin ranks 13th in Conference history in scoring (1,244 points) and 11th in rebounding (646 boards). Historically, he has combined with classmate Duran Searles (Sr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) to combine for 2,325 points in their four-yard careers. That total places the duo sixth among all CC pairs since 1994 as the "Diplomat Duo" is 159 points shy of surpassing Dan Luciano and Steve Erfle of Ursinus College (2,483 points) for fifth place and 198 markers short of overtaking former F&M teammates Alex Kraft '02 and Cas Thomas '02 (2,522 points) for fourth.

Through the first 16 games of 2003-04, he has tallied 224 points, 106 rebounds, 58 assists and 63 blocked shots as the Diplomats have opened the year 14-2, 9-0 in Centennial Conference play to rank #15 in the January 27 D3hoops.com national poll.

Starting for the first time in his high school or collegiate career, Lynch has been dynamic for the Diplomats averaging 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds while maintaining a 16-game double-digit scoring streak.

The January 27 Centennial Conference Player of the Week, he averaged 21.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as the Diplomats routed Dickinson (81-42 W) and Haverford (81-59). Against the Fords at home in the Mayser Center, he tallied his Conference best fourth double-double of the season with 28 points and 11 rebounds.

The victory improved F&M's home record to 18-1 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.

The Diplomats will return to action on January 28 at home in the Mayser Center versus Johns Hopkins University. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.