LANCASTER, Pa. - Sophomore guard Dan Capkin (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion) scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the first half to help Gettysburg build a five-point halftime lead, but Franklin & Marshall roared back with 45 points after the break to defeat the Bullets, 67-48, in both teams' Centennial Conference (CC) opener on Tuesday night at Mayser Center.
Diplomats' (2-3, 1-0 CC) junior forward Derek Hines led all players with 22 points and 12 rebounds to post a double-double. He was joined in double figures by senior guard Logan Outerbridge, who poured in 16 points. Senior forward Bryan Teschke scored five points to go along with four blocks and four steals. As a team, Franklin & Marshall shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the floor in the second half and 49 percent (24-of-49) for the game.
For Gettysburg (1-3, 0-1 CC), sophomore forward Joe Spierenburg (Chambersburg, Pa./St. Maria Goretti [Md.]) had 11 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and a team-high four assists.
With the Bullets down 4-2 less than five minutes in, Spierenburg hit a layup to tie the game and start a 9-0 Gettysburg run. The Bullets got a three-point play from Capkin during the run, and senior center Mike Beck (Clearwater, Fla./Clearwater) drained a pair of free throws to put the team up by an 11-4 tally with 11:04 to play before halftime.
Franklin & Marshall broke the run with a single free throw by Teschke, but Gettysburg responded with a 3-pointer and a layup by Capkin over the next two minutes to push the lead to 11 points. That would be Gettysburg's largest advantage of the night.
The Diplomats cut the lead to two points with 12 seconds to go in the first half on a 3-pointer by junior center Evan Hamme, but Redd converted a three-point play on a fast break to push the edge to 27-22 heading to the locker room.
Spierenburg and senior center Brian Sateja (Morristown, N.J./Delbarton School) sandwiched buckets around a good jumper by Hines in the first 1:11 of the second half to get Gettysburg's lead up to seven points at 31-24, but Franklin & Marshall began to steadily trim the advantage.
A 3-pointer by Outerbridge at the 12:43 mark gave the Diplomats their first lead since the game was just five minutes old. His triple was part of a 17-0 run that covered the middle nine minutes of the second half. Spierenburg hit a jumper at the 5:54 mark to end the run, but Franklin & Marshall was up by a 52-41 count at that point and continued to pull away.
Gettysburg will return to action on Saturday when the Bullets travel to Haverford. The opening tip is slated for 7 p.m.
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