Hayk Gyokchyan to attend Franklin & Marshall

[Khalid80]

Third game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 76 - 57 Washington

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (14 minutes of play) 8 points (2-5 FG), 4-5 FT, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal

Diplomats Row Past Shoremen

LANCASTER, Pa. – Matt Porter matched a career-high with 18 points to lead No. 9 Franklin & Marshall to 76-57 victory over Washington in the Centennial Conference (CC) opener for both teams. F&M remains perfect this the season at 3-0, 1-0 CC while the Shoremen stay winless with a 0-3, 0-1 CC mark.

Porter scored the first five points of the game as the Diplomats jumped out to an early 10-2 lead. Washington battled back and came within five, 10-5, before F&M went on a 17-9 run to go up 13 points. The Shoremen put together another spurt to make it 31-25 at 3:28 and the teams traded buckets for a 37-29 halftime score.

F&M started the second half with a 10-5 run to go up 47-34 at 15:45 and extended that lead to 19, 61-42, with 8:05 left to play. F&M maintained a double-digit lead to come away with the victory.

Porter shot 7-for-10 from the field and went 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Jon Salandra tallied 11 points with seven boards while Ed Early finished with nine and Hayk Gyokchyan ended with eight points and eight boards. Cedric Moune netted six points and pulled down a game-high nine boards.

Stephen Poarch paced Washington with a game-high 19 points while Sean Flanigan scored 15 and Charlie McShane finished with 10 points.

F&M shot 52 percent from the floor while its defense limited the Shoremen to 35.2 percent. The Diplomats dominated the glass by a 41-26 margin and picked up 50 points in the paint.

F&M takes a nine-day break and will return to action Nov. 29 when the Diplomats travel to Ursinus for a 7:00 p.m. game.

[Khalid80]

This is the link to Hayk Gyokchyan's profile with his university:

http://www.godiplomats.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/bios/gyokchyan_hayk_9mtq

[Khalid80]

Fourth game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 68 - 63 Ursinus

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (36 minutes of play) 36 points (14-23 FG), 3-6 3PT, 5-9 FT, 7 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks

Gyokchyan Leads No. 11 Diplomats Over Bears

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Hayk Gyokchyan scored a career-high 36 points to lead No. 11 Franklin & Marshall to a 68-63 victory over Ursinus in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Thursday evening.

F&M (5-0, 2-0 CC) held an eight-point lead, 63-55, with 40 seconds left in the game when the Bears (2-3, 1-1 CC) hit two treys to come within three points, 64-61, with just 25 ticks left on the clock. Jon Ward put the Bears within two, 65-13, 13 seconds later, but the Diplomats went 3-for-4 from the stripe down the stretch to secure the victory.

The Diplomats never trailed as the teams traded buckets for the first five minutes of the game. With the score tied at 9-9, F&M put together an 8-0 run to make it 17-9 only to see the Bears answer with eight straight points to tie the game at 17-17 with 6:47 left to the break. The teams continued to trade points throughout the remainder of the half with F&M clinging to a 26-25 edge at the break.

F&M went up 36-29 at 16:51 in the second stanza, but the Bears countered with a 6-2 run to come within three, 38-25, at 14:03. The Diplomats responded with nine unanswered points to take their largest lead of the game, 47-35, at 11:47. The teams exchanged micro runs over the next few minutes with F&M holding onto a 63-55 edge with just 40 seconds left to play, setting up the dramatic finish.

Gyokchyan shot 3-for-6 from behind the arc, went 5-for-9 from the stripe and pulled down a game-high seven boards. Matt Porter netted 10 with six assists and Jon Salandra finished with six points.

Malik Draper scored a team-high 17 points for the Bears while Mark Wonderling ended with 11.

F&M returns to action on Saturday when the Diplomats travel to McDaniel for a 4:00 p.m. game.

[Khalid80]

Fifth game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 80 - 70 McDaniel

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (35 minutes of play) 25 points (10-16 FG), 3-6 3PT, 2-5 FT, 19 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 1 Steal, 3 Blocks

Porter, Gyokchyan Lead F&M Over McDaniel

WESTMINISTER, Md. – Matt Porter and Hayk Gyokchyan combined for 47 points to lead No. 11 Franklin & Marshall to an 80-70 victory over McDaniel in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon. Porter netted a career-high 22 while Gyokchyan finished with a game-high 25 points and a career-best 19 boards as the Diplomats improved to 5-0, 3-0 CC this season.

The first half was a battle as neither team took more than at a four-point lead through the first five minutes of action. McDaniel (1-4, 0-3 CC) took a 5-4 edge at 16:40 before F&M went on a 13-4 run over the next two minutes to go up 17-9 at 12:31. The Green Terror answered by outscoring F&M 10-1 to retake the lead, 19-18, with 8:50 left until the break.

Both teams exchanged points over the next few minutes, resulting in a 24-24 deadlock at 6:33. The Diplomats scored six straight to retake the lead for good and went into the break with a 38-31 edge.

F&M quickly increased its advantage to double-digits to start the second stanza and led by as many as 15 points, 66-51, with 6:19 remaining in the game. The Green Terror continued to fight with a 7-0 run to come within in eight, 66-58, and made it a two-score game, 72-66, with just 1:28 left to play, but F&M went 6-for-6 from the stripe down the stretch to secure the victory.

Porter shot 8-for-17 from the floor and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Gyokchyan was 10-for-16 from the field and dished out seven assists while Morgan Lee finished with 14 points.

Tyler Rudd paced the Green Terror with 19 points and Nic Martin finished with 16 for McDaniel.

F&M held a commanding 45-26 advantage on the glass and shot 50% from the floor while limiting McDaniel to 41%.

The Diplomats return to action on Wednesday when F&M hosts Gettysburg at 7:00 p.m.

[Khalid80]

Sixth game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 54 - 51 Gettysburg

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (37 minutes of play) 14 points (4-12 FG), 1-3 3PT, 5-6 FT, 13 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal

No. 8 Diplomats Battle Bullets

LANCASTER, Pa. – Hayk Gyokchyan hit a trey with 19 seconds remaining to lift No. 8 Franklin & Marshall to a 54-51 victory over Gettysburg in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Wednesday evening.

F&M (6-0, 4-0 CC) held a 49-46 edge with 2:20 left in the game when Alex Zurn evened the game at 49-49 with a three. The teams exchanged missed shots over the next minute before Gyokchyan collected an offensive rebound and put the ball back in the bucket to put F&M up 51-49 with 52 seconds left.

Zurn hit a jumper on the other end to tie the score, 51-51, but Gyokchyan drained the three 19 seconds later. Gettysburg (2-5, 1-3 CC) possessed the ball with 19 seconds left and looked to set up the game-tying three, but Brandon Beckford blocked a three-point shot by Joe Emerusabe to seal the victory.

The Diplomats jumped out to an early 12-6 lead five minutes into the game, but the Bullets battled back with a 10-0 run to take a 16-12 edge at 11:28. Gettysburg slowly extended its lead to 10, 29-19, with 4:20 left to the break. F&M countered with 10 unanswered points to send the game into intermission tied at 29-29.

The second half was a back-and-forth battle with five lead changes and four ties as neither team led by more than five points. The Diplomats held an early 37-32 lead at 13:23, but Gettysburg quickly erased it with a 12-4 run to go up three, 44-41, at 7:39. The teams traded buckets over the next five minutes, setting up the dramatic finish.

Matt Porter scored a team-high 18 points, shooting 6-for-6 from the stripe. Jon Salandra and Gyokchyan both picked up double-doubles for the Diplomats. Gyokchyan ended with 14 points and 12 boards for his third double-double of the year, while Salandra chipped in 12 points with 10 rebounds.

Zurn led the Bullets with a game-high 19 points and Emerusabe finished with nine for Gettysburg.

F&M shot 13-for-15 (87%) from the stripe, while the Bullets finished at 6-for-15 (40%) shooting.

F&M returns to action on Saturday when the Diplomats host Haverford at 3:00 p.m.

[Khalid80]

Seventh game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 61 - 59 Haverford

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (32 minutes of play) 10 points (5-14 FG), 3 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal

No. 8 Diplomats Escape Fords

LANCASTER, Pa. – No. 8 Franklin & Marshall escaped with a 61-59 victory over Haverford Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action. The Diplomats remain unbeaten this season with a 7-0, 5-0 CC mark while the Fords fell to 3-5, 2-3 CC.

F&M used a 7-0 run over a four-minute span to take its largest lead of the game, 59-54, with 3:57 left to play. The Fords scored four straight to come within a point, but a Hayk Gyokchyan layup at 1:20 put the F&M lead to three, 61-58. Haverford had a chance to tie the contest on its next possession as Cam Baker went to line with three shots. Baker missed the first two, hitting the third, to make it 61-59 with 42 ticks left.

The Diplomats used up the majority of shot clock on their next trip down court, but could not convert, giving the ball back to the Fords. Haverford went down the floor and Baker's pass to Brett Cohen was knocked out of bounds by Gyokchyan, giving the Fords possession with 1.2 seconds left. Haverford threw the inbound pass to Lucas Colombo, but his three-point shot fell short of the rim as time expired.

The game was a battle the entire contest with 17 lead changes and six ties. Haverford jumped out to early 4-0 lead, before the Diplomats went up 13-10 at 12:58 in the first half. The teams traded baskets the majority of the first stanza as neither team took more than a four point edge and the Fords went into the bring holding onto a 32-31 lead.

F&M opened up the second with four straight points to take a three point, 35-32, lead on a Matt Porter steal and dunk. The Fords countered with 12-5 run to take a 44-37 lead at 16:20. F&M answered with a 13-6 scoring streak to tie the game at 50-50 at 11:04 before Haverford went back up 54-52 with 8:09 left to play, setting up F&M's run.

Porter tallied a team-high 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting and Jon Salandra finished with his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 boards. Gyokchyan netted 10 and Ed Early finished with eight points for F&M.

Cohen led all scorers with 25 while Colombo scored 13 and Baker finished with 10 for the Fords.

F&M caused 16 turnovers, resulting in 17 points and held a 32-27 advantage on the glass.

The Diplomats will take the week off for finals before heading to Lexington, Kentucky to play in the Don Lane Classic hosted by Transylvania on Dec. 18 and 19.

[Khalid80]

8th game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 66 - 63 Mt. St. Joseph

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (34 minutes of play) 14 points (5-14 FG), 2-4 3PT FG, 2-2 FT, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steal, 1 Block Shot

No. 8 F&M Upends Lions

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three players scored in double-figures as No. 8 Franklin & Marshall defeated Mt. St. Joseph 66-63 in the first game on the Don Lane Classic hosted by Transylvania. The Diplomats improved to 8-0 while MSJ fell to 5-4.

The game had a sluggish start with F&M holding onto an 8-2 lead five minutes into the contest. The Diplomats increased its lead to nine, 26-17, with 4:41 left until the break, before the Lions put together a strong run. MSJ scored 10 unanswered points to go up 27-26 at 1:17, but F&M tallied the last two points of the half to take a 28-27 edge into the break.

F&M opened up the second half with a commanding 12-5 run over the first 6:36 to take a 40-33 lead. The Lions countered with a 14-5 scoring streak and took a 47-45 edge with 8:12 left in the game. Hayk Gyokchyan hit a three to put the Diplomats back on top only to be matched by David Mann's trey, which tied the game a 50-50 at 5:53.

Max Brewer drained a three at 5:37 to jump start a 13-2 run that spanned four minutes and gave the Diplomats a 63-52 lead with 1:37 left to play. Mann hit three from behind the arc down stretch, but time ran out on the Lions attempted comeback.

Ed Early had a season-high 15 points to pace F&M and was one board shy of a double-double with a career-high nine rebounds. Gyokchyan tallied 14, all in the second half, and finished with six rebounds. Devin Figueroa finished with a career-high 13 points, shooting 3-for-6 from behind the arc and 5-for-9 from the floor. Matt Porter and Brewer both finished with eight points for the Diplomats.

Mann led the Lions with a game-high 31 while Andy Countryman was the only other player from MSJ in double-figures with 16 points.

F&M returns to action tomorrow when the Diplomats play host Transylvania at 5:00 p.m.

[Khalid80]

9th game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 73 - 86 Transylvania

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (29 minutes of play) 7 points (2-5 FG), 1-1 3PT FG, 2-3 FT, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists

F&M Falls to Transylvania

LEXINGTON, Ky. –- Transylvania handed No. 8 Franklin & Marshall an 86-73 setback at the Don Lane Classic Wednesday evening. The defeat is the first for F&M this season at they fell to 8-1 while Transy improved to 7-3.

The Pioneers, who picked up double-digit performances from four players, forged an early 14-7 advantage six minutes into the game and extended their lead to 23-15 at 8:04. F&M answered with a 14-8 run to come within two, 31-29, before Transy went up five with 3:02 left to the break.

Devin Figueroa hit a three and Max Brewer went 2-for-2 from the stripe in the Diplomats next two possessions to tie the game at 34-34. The teams traded buckets and Morgan Lee made it a one-point game, 38-37, with 17 ticks left, but the Pioneers scored from behind the arc to go into the break with a 41-37 lead.

F&M outscored the Pioneers 9-7 in the opening three minutes of the second half to get within two, 48-46, but Transy quickly answered with five straight. Brewer's three at 8:51 put F&M within striking distance, 60-57, before the Pioneers put together a 9-0 run that spanned 1:42 to go up double-digits, 69-57, with 7:09 left in the contest.

The Diplomats came within seven points on an Ed Early layup at 5:51 before Transy went back up in double-digits. The Pioneers maintained the double-digit lead the remainder of the game, leading by as many as 17 points, 86-69, with 39 seconds left to play.

Early paced F&M with a season-high 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting and was named to the All-Classic Team. Morgan Lee tallied a career-high 18 points, going 7-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-2 from behind the arc. Brewer had eight while Jon Salandra, Gyokchyan and Figueroa all finished with seven points.

Barrett Meyer scored a game-high 29 points for the Pioneers. Ethan Spurlin chipped in 22, Parker Stansberry tallied 16 and Brand Rash had 13 points in the victory.

F&M outshot the Pioneers 63% to 59% and held a slight 24-18 advantage on the glass.

The Diplomats return to action on Jan. 2 when F&M hosts Plattsburgh State in the Sponaugle New Years Tournament at 8:00 p.m.

[Khalid80]

10th game of the season: Great game by Hayk!!!

Franklin & Marshall 71 - 55 Plattsburgh St.

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (35 minutes of play) 40 points (14-16 FG), 6-8 3PT FG, 6-11 FT, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Steals

Gyokchyan Leads F&M Over Cardinals

LANCASTER, Pa. – Hayk Gyokchyan netted a career-high 40 points to lead No. 17 Franklin & Marshall to a 71-55 victory over Plattsburgh State in the first round of the 46th Annual Sponaugle New Years Tournament. The Diplomats will take on Eastern Connecticut tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. in the championship game while the Cardinals face Salisbury at 5:00 p.m. in the consolidation game. Eastern Connecticut handed Salisbury a 75-55 defeat in the first game of the tournament.

Gyokchyan came out strong, scoring 16 points in the first 5:27 of action and 18 of F&M's 26 points as the Diplomats jumped to an early 26-16 lead half way through the first. F&M scored nine unanswered over the next five minutes to go up 19, 35-16, with 6:49 left to the break.

PSU tallied four straight, before Gyokchyan hit a trey at 2:16 and netted 1-of-2 from the stripe minutes later to give F&M a 39-20 halftime lead.

F&M continued to pour it on to the start the second and went up 22 points, 48-26, on a Gyokchyan layup at 13:46. The Cardinals slowly chipped away over the next minutes to come within nine points, 56-43, with 7:18 left in the game. Back-to-back layups from Jon Salandra quickly put F&M back up in double-digits, but PSU would not go away.

The Cardinals went on a 12-6 run over the next six minutes to make 62-55 with just under two minutes to play. Max Brewer went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line over the next two possessions to put F&M up 13 and Gyokchyan hit his sixth triple of the evening with 45 second left to make it 71-55.

Gyokchyan shot 14-for-16 from the floor, including 6-for-8 from behind the arc for the third highest single game scoring in school history. Salandra picked up a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards while Ed Early finished with six points off the bench.

John Perez led the Cardinals with 15 points and Shamoy McIntosh finished with 11 for the Cardinals.

F&M shot 60.5% from the floor and held PSU to 42% percent shooting.

[Khalid80]

11th game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 56 - 52 Eastern Conn. St.

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (30 minutes of play) 4 points (2-7 FG), 0-2 3PT FG, 9 Rebounds, 1 Block Shot

Diplomats Edge Warriors for Tournament Title

LANCASTER, Pa. – Four players scored in double-figures as No. 17 Franklin & Marshall defeated Eastern Connecticut 56-52 in the championship game of the Sponaugle New Years Tournament. The victory gives F&M its 25th Sponaugle New Year title and the Diplomats improved to 10-1.

The contest started out slow as both teams struggled to score resulting in a 13-13 tie at the 11:20 mark in the first half. F&M picked up the pace and went on a 10-0 run over the next seven minutes to go up 23-13 with 4:23 left to the break. The double-digit lead did not last for long when the Warriors (7-5) slowly chipped away and finished the half with a strong 6-0 run to come within three, 25-22, at halftime.

F&M traded buckets with ECSU to start out the second frame and Ed Early gave F&M a five-point edge, 35-30, six minutes into the half. Early netted four more in an 8-1 F&M run that gave the Diplomats a 43-33 edge with 8:48 left to play. Matt Porter added six points over the next four minutes to help the Diplomats maintain a double-digit lead, 53-41, at 4:35.

The Warriors came alive at the four-minute mark and went on a 9-0 run to come within three, 53-50, with just 34 seconds left in the game. Porter hit 1-of-2 from the stripe before Tyler Hundley netted two for the ESCU to bring the Warriors within two, 54-52, with just three seconds left.

Brandon Beckford was immediately fouled on the ensuing possession and he netted both shots to put the game out of reach and secured the 56-52 victory.

Max Brewer scored 11 points to earn MVP honors, while Jon Salandra and Porter both finished with 12. Salandra had a solid line score with eight boards to go along with four blocks and four steals. Beckford finished with 11 and Early had eight points to go along with eight rebounds.

Chris Robitaille had a game-high 17 for the Warriors and Trachone Preston fished with 10.

F&M returns to action Saturday when the Diplomats host Swarthmore at 3 p.m.

[Khalid80]

12th game of the season: Another great game by Hayk!

Franklin & Marshall 81 - 58 Swarthmore

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (33 minutes of play) 37 points (15-23 FG), 0-3 3PT FG, 7-8 FT, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shot

F&M Tops Garnet

LANCASTER, Pa. – Hayk Gyokchyan scored a game-high 37 points to lead No. 17 Franklin & Marshall to an 81-58 victory over Swarthmore in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats increased their winning streak against the Garnet to 11 straight and improved to 11-1, 6-0 CC while Swarthmore fell to 3-10, 2-4 CC.

Gyokchyan brought his career total to 969 points and is 31 points away from being the 33rd Diplomat to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Swarthmore jumped out to an early 8-2 lead aided by three F&M turnovers. The Diplomats battled back and made it 13-13 at 13:20 on a Max Brewer jumper and went on a 13-2 run over the next six minutes to take a commanding 26-15 edge with 7:44 left to the break.

The Garnet came within five, 26-21, at 5:19, but F&M outscored Swarthmore 12-4 over the final five minutes of the first to go into halftime with a 38-25 lead.

F&M continued its dominance in the second stanza and maintained a double-digit lead the remainder of the contest. The Diplomats led by as many as 24 points and never trailed by more than 13 in the second frame.

Gyokchyan shot 15-for-23 from the floor and went 7-for-8 from the line with six boards. Ed Early tallied 10 points with six rebounds while Brewer went 4-for-4 from the stripe for nine points. Matt Porter netted eight points and collected a game-high nine rebounds for the Diplomats.

Will Gates led the Garnet with 23 points and Joe Keedy finished with 10.

F&M forced 19 turnovers that resulted in 23 points and held a commanding 36-24 advantage on the glass.

F&M starts a four-game road stretch on Monday when the Diplomats travel to No. 13 St. Mary's for a 7:00 p.m. showdown among top-25 teams.

[Khalid80]

13th game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 57 - 63 St. Mary's (Md.)

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (20 minutes of play) 3 points (1-6 FG), 1-3 3PT FG, 4 Rebounds, 1 Steal

F&M’s Rally Falls Short

ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – No. 14 Franklin & Marshall rallied late, but ran out of time, falling 63-57 to ninth-ranked St. Mary's in non-conference basketball action Monday evening. The Diplomats fell to 11-2 while the Seahawks improved to 14-1.

F&M struggled in the first half and found itself trailing by 23 points, 37-14, at halftime, before slowly chipping away in the second.

The Diplomats opened up the second frame with an 18-5 run to come within 10, 42-32, with 11:53 left in the game. St. Mary's quickly responded with seven-straight and went up 49-32, but F&M countered with eight unanswered to make it 49-40 at 6:33.

Donn Hill hit two from the line for the Seahawk before Ed Early netted four in a 6-0 F&M spurt to put the Diplomats within five, 51-46, with 4:29 left to play. Hill hit two more from the line to put SMC up nine, but F&M outscored St. Mary's 6-2 over the next two minutes to make it a two score game, 59-55, with 1:30 left.

The teams traded points in the next two possessions and F&M could not hit from behind the arc . St. Mary's hit 4-of-6 from the stripe over the final 30 seconds to secure the victory.

Early led F&M with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting and collected six rebounds. Matt Porter netted 13 and Brandon Beckford finished with eight. Jon Salandra had a game-high nine boards to go along with six points.

Devin Spencer finished with a game-high 18 points to pace the hosts and Brendan McFall fished with 16.

The Seahawks outshot F&M 50 percent to 38 percent, but F&M held a 37-27 advantage on the glass.

The Diplomats return to action on Thursday with a 7:30 p.m. contest at Muhlenberg before traveling to Washington to cap off the week.

[Khalid80]

14th game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 74 - 69 Muhlenberg

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (35 minutes of play) 25 points (8-16 FG), 4-7 3PT FG, 5-7 FT, 7 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Block Shot

Gyokchyan Leads F&M Over Mules

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Hayk Gyokchyan scored 25 points to lead No. 14 Franklin & Marshall to a 74-69 victory over Muhlenberg in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Thursday evening. The Diplomats improved to 12-2, 7-0 CC while the Mules fell to 8-6, 4-3 CC.

Gyokchyan's performance brought his career total to 997 points, leaving him three shy of becoming the 33rd Diplomat to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

F&M took command early, outscoring the Mules 17-4 in the first five minutes of the game and continued to pile it on when Jon Salandra's bucket at 10:57 gave the Diplomats their largest lead of the game, 29-7. The Mules answered with 20-8 run over the next five minutes to come within 10 points, 37-27, but F&M quickly countered with eight straight to go up 45-27 with 1:23 left in the half. Muhlenberg tallied the last four points of the half to make it 45-31 at the break.

The Mules slowly chipped away to start the second and came within nine, 48-39, before Gyokchyan scored four in a 7-3 spurt to put F&M's lead back in double-figures. Muhlenberg continued to battle and scored 10 unanswered to make it a three point game, 55-52, with 9:33 left to play. The teams exchanged points and Malique Killings hit two from the line at 4:52 to bring the Mules within a point, 59-58.

Gyokchyan hit treys on F&M's next two possessions to make 65-60 at 4:11. The game slowed down with just eight points scored over the next three minutes and F&M holding onto a 69-64 advantage with 1:02 left in the game. Matt Porter scored on a traditional three-point play to put F&M up eight points and Brandon Beckford went 1-for-2 from the stripe to make 73-64 with 14 ticks on the clock. Killings scored five points in the final 14 seconds for the Mules, but it wasn't enough as F&M walked away with the victory.

Gyokchyan shot 50% from floor, including 4-for-7 from behind arc and collected seven rebounds. Max Brewer and Porter both tallied 11 for F&M while Beckford and Salandra finished eight apiece. Ed Early contributed six points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

Killings led Muhlenberg with a game-high 27 points with Austin Curry adding 10 for the Mules. Kevin Hargrove netted nine and Brandon Bovino finished with eight points.

The Diplomats held a 42-26 advantage on the glass and shot 56% from behind the arc to the Mules' 35%.

F&M continues its road trip when the Diplomats travel to Washington on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. contest.

[Khalid80]

15th game of the season:

Franklin & Marshall 61 - 62 Washington

Hayk Gyokchyan Stats: (30 minutes of play) 13 points (5-13 FG), 0-4 3PT FG, 3-4 FT, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal

F&M Falls to Washington

CHESTERTOWN, Md. – No. 14 Franklin & Marshall dropped a 62-61 decision to Washington in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon. The victory is the first for Washington this season and the Shoremen improved to 1-14, 1-7 CC while the Diplomats dropped to 12-3, 7-1 CC.

F&M erased an eight-point deficit early in the second half with 12-3 run to go up 42-41 at 10:19. The teams exchanged points before Morgan Lee scored five straight to give F&M a 51-46 edge at 7:30. Washington countered and outscored the Diplomats 12-2 to lead 58-53 with 4:39 left in the game.

Max Brewer and Lee accounted for all eight of F&M's points over the next three minutes and Brewer's trey at 1:51 put F&M within a point, 62-61, with just under two minutes left in the game. Kevin Cunningham missed two from the line on Washington's next possession and the Diplomats came up empty on their next trip down court with the Shoremen coming away with the ball with 1:05 to play.

Washington took up most of the shot clock and Sean Flannigan missed on a jumper with Dave Knox collecting the ball for the Shoremen. Knox missed on the put back and Ed Early pulled down the defensive rebound to give F&M the ball with 26 seconds left and the final shot. The ball went into Hayk Gyokchyan, but the senior forward missed and Washington came away with the board to seal the win.

The Shoremen jumped out to a 16-8 lead seven minutes into the game and held onto a 26-16 edge with 5:48 left to the break. F&M answered with 10 straight points to tie the game at 26-26 at 1:35. Washington netted a quick five points and Lee hit a jumper for the Diplomats with four seconds left to make it a 31-28 at halftime in favor of Washington.

Lee finished with a career-high 23 points, shooting 9-for-13 from the field, and 3-for-3 from the line. Jon Salandra netted 11 points with five rebounds and Matt Porter finished with six boards for F&M.

Gyokchyan scored 13 points and became just the 33rd player to reach the 1,000-point plateau in program history.

Charlie McShane led Washington with 18 points and Stephen Poarch scored 14 for the Shoremen.

F&M returns to action on Wednesday at Johns Hopkins to wrapped up its four-game road tour, before returning home on Saturday against McDaniel.

[mavrick_h]

He lacks the stability in his performance but nevertheless he had some great games.