Dickinson's Defense Downs Diplomats

Box Score

LANCASTER, Pa. - With securing the final playoff spot on the line, the Dickinson men's basketball team had their sights set on making it back to the Centennial Conference (CC) tournament since 1997 and it showed in a 60-48 win over Franklin & Marshall on Saturday.

Tom Leszczynski helped the Red Devils (13-11, 9-9 CC) clinch the No. 5 seed in the conference playoffs with a double-double, recording game highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds. Kizmahr Grell added 15 points, behind an 8-for-10 performance from the free-throw line.

James McNally scored a team-high 22 points, grabbing eight rebounds and going 8-for-10 from the line. Anthony Brooks tallied nine points, five rebounds and five steals for the Diplomats (12-13, 7-11 CC).

Dickinson, who held a two-point lead at halftime, outscored the Diplomats 40-30 in the second half and used a 12-3 burst late in the game to make its way into postseason play.

McNally hit two shots from the charity stripe to open the final stanza and knot the game at 20-all. Leszczynski and Cory Kenny combined for 10 points over the next five minutes to give the Red Devils a 32-25 lead.

McNally connected on a layup and Baker scored six straight points to get within 36-33. Dickinson relied on its free-throw shooting, going 11-for-14 from the line over a four-minute span. Grell went 7-for-8 during that stretch to help the Red Devils gain a double-digit lead that would not relinquish.

In a low-scoring first half, McNally and Brooks combined for 16 out of the 18 scored by F&M. Both teams kept it close, with Brooks scoring six of the first eight points and McNally getting a jumper to drop for a 10-7 lead at the 13:19 mark.

Leszczynski made two free throws and Grell drained a three-pointer to regain the lead at 12-10. Dickinson grabbed its biggest lead of the half on a three-pointer from Kenny to make it 18-10. The Diplomats outscored the Red Devils 8-2 over the final 3:49 for a 20-18 halftime score.