NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Franklin & Marshall College Men's Basketball Team (21-6) used a strong second half to pull away from Emory & Henry College (22-7) by a 73-59 score in the First Round of the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament Friday. The contest marked the first NCAA postseason game for the Wasps since the 1992-93 season when they reached the Sweet 16.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Franklin & Marshall 73, Emory & Henry 59
LOCATION – Newport News, Virginia
VENUE – C.J. Woollum Court at The Freeman Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (22-7, 11-5 ODAC); Franklin & Marshall (21-6, 14-4 Centennial)
How It Happened
- The two squads went back-and-forth early to a 14-14 tie at the 11:11 mark of the opening half. F&M then scored 11 in a row for a 25-14 advantage.
- The Wasps trimmed the margin to six (25-19) on a layup by senior forward Chase Branscomb (Bristol, Tenn.) but the Diplomats held off the run to lead, 37-29, at the break.
- Returning to action, Emory & Henry went on a 14-6 run to tie the contest at 43 with 14:43 on the clock on a three-pointer by junior guard Jarris Hendricks (Mechanicsville, Va.), and took the lead, 45-43, on its next possession.
- The Wasps and Diplomats traded buckets for the next several minutes resulting in a 52-51 E&H lead. Franklin & Marshall then took control of the contest with an 18-2 run, going up 69-54 with 1:26 remaining, and cruised to the 73-59 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Hendricks led the way with 14 points on 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc, and added three rebounds.
- Sophomore guard Colin Molden (Apex, N.C.) had 11 points and six assists while junior forward Alic Wynn (Asheville, N.C.) notched 10 points and nine boards.
- Branscomb nearly posted a double-double with nine points, 11 rebounds and two assists.
Franklin & Marshall Individual Leaders
- Matthew Tate scored a game-high 17 points and added eight assists, three rebounds and two steals while Brandon Federici had 16 points.
- Ignas Slyka notched 13 points and seven rebounds while Lionel Owona registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry made just 38.2 percent (21-of-55) of its shots but connected on nine three-pointers. The Wasps were an efficient 8-for-10 (80%) at the line.
- Franklin & Marshall went 29-for-63 (46%) for the game and converted 84.6 percent (11-of-13) of its free throw attempts.
- F&M held a 40-32 rebounding advantage which translated into a 14-3 lead on second-chance points.
- The Diplomats outscored the Wasps 46-22 on points in the paint and 20-4 on points off turnovers.
The Interviews
Looking Back
- Emory & Henry finishes with the most successful season in 25 years and its first ODAC Championship in program history.
- The Wasps saw a program-best four players named to the All-ODAC Teams and were ranked as high as No. 19 in the nation by D3hoops.com during the year.
- E&H also saw a pair of players in Branscomb and senior guard John Shelor (Giles, Va.) reach the 1,000-point club during the 2017-18 campaign.
---E&H---