Semifinal (at Franklin & Marshall): #3 Johns Hopkins d. #2 Ursinus, 107-101
Semifinal (at Franklin & Marshall): #1 Franklin & Marshall d. #4 Gettysburg, 75-49
Final (at Franklin & Marshall): #1 Franklin & Marshall d. #3 Johns Hopkins, 69-58

LANCASTER, PA -- Franklin & Marshall College guard Brandon Smith (So., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) made six-of-12 field goal attempts, including four-of-six from beyond the arc, for 16 points with five steals as the Diplomats (24-3, 17-1 CC) shot 23-of-51 from the field (45.1%) and seven-of-17 from three-point range (41.2%) to outlast Johns Hopkins University (17-9, 12-6 CC) 69-58 to capture the 2004 Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Championship.

Playing for their fourth CC championship and 19th trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Diplomats overcame an inspired Hopkins run which pulled the Jays to within 50-47 and 52-49 with six minutes to play to hold on for the title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship playoffs set for March 4, 6, 12-13 and 19-20.

Leading 30-20 at intermission, F&M pulled ahead by 13 points 47 seconds into the half as Smith arched in a "three". The Jays responded with a jumper by Kevin Marquez, but guard Jackiem Wright (Sr., Sicklerville, NJ/Moorestown Friends) swished a trey with 18:33 to go to move the lead to 36-22. The team's exchanged baskets before forward Bobby Lynch (Jr., Richboro, PA/Council Rock) and preseason All-America center Steve Juskin (Sr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) hit jumpers and point guard Duran Searles (Sr., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) dropped a lay-up to push the margin out to 45-26 with 15:23 to play.

Hopkins fired back as Danny Nawrocki made a bucket and a free throw off a foul by Lynch at the 14:39 mark to ignite the Jays' run. At 14:09 at 13:20, Nawrocki hit back-to-back lay-ups to close to within 45-33. Following a 30 second timeout by F&M, Hopkins continued the spurt as Frank Mason hit a lay-up and a free-throw off a foul by guard Logan Outerbridge (Fr., Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) for a 45-36 lead with 12:37 to play. Eric Toback continued the bleeding hitting a lay-up at the 11:51 mark for a 45-38 lead to finish off the run as Juskin hit the front-end of a pair of free-throws to move F&M ahead 46-38 16 seconds later,

However, the Jays were not done as Marquez hit a lay-up and a free throw off a foul by Smith to shave the lead back to five points at 46-41 with 10:17 to play.

Wright hit a jumper to put the Diplomats back in front by seven at 48-41 17 seconds later and Lynch converted on a lay-up at the 9:18 mark to edge the lead back to nine at 50-41.

But the Jays would not go away as Toback hit a baby-hook and Marquez drained a three-pointer to move back within four at 50-46 with 8:20 to play. Nawrocki made the back-end of a pair of free-throws at 6:52 to trail by three points at 50-47, but Juskin answered for F&M converting a pair of free-throws at 6:43 to go ahead by five at 52-47.

Toback responded hitting a lay-up at 6:20 to trim the margin back to 52-49, but Lynch countered making a pair of free-throws to go ahead 54-49 with 6:07 left on the game clock.

Needing a stop to halt Hopkins' come back hopes, the Diplomats responded as Wright grabbed a rebound and hit a lay-up with 5:38 to play to go back in front by seven at 56-49.

Wright figured in the next play as he fouled Marquez who made the back-end of a pair of free-throws to edge back to within six at 56-50, but Wright countered making the back-end of a pair of charity stripe attempts as Franklin & Marshall led 57-50 with 5:02 to play.

Following a full timeout by Hopkins at 4:52, the Blue Jays trimmed the Diplomats' lead to four points as Toback drilled a three-pointer. Sixteen seconds later Lynch made one-of-two free throws for a 58-53 lead with 4:27 on the clock.

Facing the possibility of a Hopkins' run to either tie the game or hand the Diplomats' their third straight CC title game loss after upsets defeats at home by Gettysburg (50-47 L) in 2001 and on the road at Ursinus (96-88 OT) in 2002, the Diplomats needed a defensive stop.

Wright responded picking off a pass and hitting a streaking Smith for a lay-up and a 60-53 lead to break the Jays' backs with 4:02 to play on the clock.

At 3:45, Nawrocki hit a bucket leading to a full F&M timeout at the 2:43 mark.

Wright finished off Hopkins down the stretch as he made one-of-two free-throws at 2:15, hit a jumper at the one minute mark and swished pairs of free-throws with 40 seconds and 11 seconds left on the clock as Franklin & Marshall won their fourth CC title (1994, 1996, 2000 and 2004).

For F&M, Lynch led the way making six-of-12 from the field and five-of-nine at the line for 17 points while pulling down a game high eight rebounds. Wright finished with 15 points, all in the second half, as he hit four-of-eight field goals, including four-of-six in final frame to key Franklin & Marshall to the win.

In the middle, Juskin finished with nine points on three-of-five from the field and three-of-four at the foul-line, while ripping down seven boards and swatting five blocked shots.

For Searles, who tallied seven points, three assists and three steals, the game was memorable as he moved into third place in the CC record book with 189 steals, one behind second place and former teammate Cas Thomas '02 and eight off the record of 197 held by former Dickinson standout Billy Hagan '03 (197).

Nawrocki led Hopkins with 16 points, while Toback chipped in 15 points and eight boards and Marquez tallied 11 points as the Blue Jays' season draws to a close.

F&M's 11-point margin of victory marks the largest in a CC title game since Johns Hopkins polished off Washington 78-52 on the road in the 1999 title tilt. Further, it marks the Diplomats' third CC title game win over Hopkins as Franklin & Marshall knocked off the Jays in 1994 (63-61 W in Lancaster) and 2000 (75-67 OT in Lancaster). Historically, of F&M's three prior CC title game victories, two have ignited NCAA Final Four runs as the 1996 and 2000 Diplomats reached Division III's final showdown.

The win also marks F&M's third over Hopkins this year as the Diplomats downed the Jays 81-60 on January 28 in Lancaster and 67-63 in Baltimore on February 24 in the regular season finale.

Overall, F&M locked up its 14th conference playoff title, including eight in the last 14 years. Further, the conference title continues an unusual steak as every basketball class that has graduated from Franklin & Marshall College since 1975 has shared two uncommon points of similarity: they won a conference title and they earned an NCAA tournament bid.

In addition, the CC title also marks the third straight year F&M has won a postseason tournament as the 2002 and 2003 teams captured the ECAC South Region Championships.