Wesley Run Ends in NCAA First Round
LANCASTER, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall put together game breaking runs in both halves to claim a 93-69 win over Wesley College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships.
Wesley trailed just 25-23 in the first half after a jumper by Rashawn Johnson (Selbyville, Del./Sussex Tech) with 10:42 left in the half, but the Diplomats hit eight of their next 10 field goals during a 17-3 run to take a commanding 42-26 lead with seven minutes left in the opening stanza.
A basket by Evan Martin (Wilmington, Del./Laurinburg {N.C.}) in the second half cut the lead to 56-42 with 17:50 to play, but back-to-back field goals by Anthony Brooks started a 26-7 surge over the next nine and a half minutes that put the game out of reach, 82-49.
Wesley had managed to overcome its lack of size all season, but the Diplomats outscored the Wolverines 64-26 in the paint, including 18 points and 11 rebounds from James McNally. Brooks added 17 points, while point guard Georgio Milligan had an all-around effort with 11 points, seven assists, two blocks and three steals. Mike Baker, Clay Scovill and reserve Dan Selig each scored a dozen points as six different Franklin & Marshall players reached double figures.
The Diplomats shot 59 percent from the floor in the game, while Wesley hit on just 33 percent, including 6-of-24 from three point range.
Martin finished with 16 points and five assists for Wesley, while Johnson added 14 points and three steals. Alphonzo Wright (Dover, Del./Polytech) had 10 points, nine rebounds and five steals.
Johnson and Martin ended superb careers in the game, combining for over 3,300 points at Wesley. Johnson finishes as the Wolverines' all-time leader with 2,388 points.
Wesley won a program record 18 games, won the school's first conference championship in 21 years and earned its first NCAA bid.
Quotes:
Jerry Kobasa
"What these guys did this year was amazing, considering the
size we lost in the offseason."
"I've been fortunate enough to coach this young man (Rashawn Johnson) for eight years. He's a special young man. He loves the game of basketball and is a good student too."
"Franklin & Marshall is an outstanding defensive team on the ball. They rotated well and their size was a problem for us. We've been able to use our speed to our advantage this year, but those might be the best post players we've seen all season - and we've seen some pretty good ones. They complimented each other very well."
"Their point guard was outstanding. He controlled the ball and showed patience in getting people to the right places."
