LANCASTER, Pa. – Georgio Milligan scored a game-high 17 points to lead No. 7 Franklin & Marshall to an 87-55 victory over Muhlenberg in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Thursday evening. The game marked the highest point total for F&M and the lowest for Muhlenberg this season.
Milligan set the tone early with back-to-back steals and buckets for a four-point F&M (14-0, 7-0 CC) lead 31 seconds into the game. The Mules (9-4, 3-4 CC) quickly answered with six-straight points to go up 6-4. The lead was short lived, as the Diplomats went on a 12-1 run to retake the lead, 16-7, at 13:27. Muhlenberg came within six, 22-16, at 11:05 before F&M went on an 11-0 run over four minutes for a 33-16 edge at 7:10. F&M maintained a double-digit advantage the remainder of the half and went into the break leading 46-27.
F&M continued its dominance in the second half and took a 20-point, 54-34, advantage at 15:34. The Diplomats maintained at least a 20-point lead the remainder of the contest and led by as many as 35 points, 81-46, with 5:25 left to play.
Milligan was three assist shy of a triple-double with 11 boards and seven assists. The senior shot 6-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the stripe. Jon Salandratallied 15 with a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the floor. Morgan Lee turned in a career-high 14 points with four helpers while Ed Early finished with 10 points.
Spencer Liddic came into the game second in the conference in scoring with 19.7 points per game, but F&M held him to just 11. Maliquie Killing and Jess Lerner both tallied 12 points for the Mules.
F&M held a commanding 43-29 advantage on the glass, including 14 on the offensive side, which resulted in 14 second-chance points. The Diplomats shot 55% while limiting the Mules to 34%.
F&M returns to action on Saturday when the Diplomats host Washington at 4:00 p.m.
FRANKLIN & MARSHALL 87, MUHLENBERG 55
MUHLENBERG (9-4, 3-4 CC)
Malique Killing 4-15 3-4 12; Gabriel Mercer 4-9 2-2 12; Spencer Liddic 4-9 3-4 11; Austin Curry 3-10 0-0 9; AJ Dean 1-5 2-2 4; Jesse Lerner 1-1 0-0 3; Matt O'Hara 1-3 0-0 2; Kevin Hargrove 1-3 0-0 2; James Albano 0-0 0-0 0; Brian Leeds 0-0 0-2 0; Hunter Forsman 0-1 0-0 0; Ryan Lagomarsino 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-56 10-14 55.
FRANKLIN & MARSHALL (14-0, 7-0 CC)
Georgio Milligan 6-11 4-6 17; Jon Salandra 7-7 0-2 15; Morgan Lee 6-12 2-5 14; Ed Early 4-7 2-2 10; Austin Alecxih 4-10 0-0 9; Brandon Beckford 3-7 2-2 9; Hayk Gyokchyan 4-8 0-0 9; Dave Balderston 1-1 0-0 2; Matt Porter 1-1 0-0 2; Kevin Henry 0-0 0-0 0; Max Brewer 0-2 0-0 0; Nick Mraz 0-0 0-0 0; Terrel Phelps 0-0 0-0 0; Brett McCormick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-66 10-17 87.
Muhlenberg.................... 27 28 - 55
Franklin & Marshall........... 46 41 - 87
3-point goals--Muhlenberg 7-24 (Austin Curry 3-10; Gabriel Mercer 2-5; Jesse Lerner 1-1; Malique Killing 1-4; Matt O'Hara 0-2; AJ Dean 0-1; Spencer Liddic 0-1), Franklin & Marshall 5-13 (Hayk Gyokchyan 1-3; Brandon Beckford 1-3; Austin Alecxih 1-3; Jon Salandra 1-1; Georgio Milligan 1-1; Max Brewer 0-1; Morgan Lee 0-1).
Fouled out--Muhlenberg-None, Franklin & Marshall-None.
Rebounds--Muhlenberg 29 (Spencer Liddic 7), Franklin & Marshall 43 (Georgio Milligan 11).
Assists--Muhlenberg 8 (Austin Curry 2), Franklin & Marshall 16 (Georgio Milligan 7).
Total fouls--Muhlenberg 18, Franklin & Marshall 16.
Technical fouls--Muhlenberg-None, Franklin & Marshall-None.
A-1322