Chambers Hits Go-Ahead Three with 29 Seconds Left

LANCASTER, PA – Senior guard/forward Andrew Chambers (Williamsport, MD/St. Maria Goretti) drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 29 seconds left in overtime as visiting Washington College upset 11th-ranked host Franklin & Marshall, 68-63, in Centennial Conference men's basketball action tonight at the Mayser Center. The Shoremen improved to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play with the win, while the Diplomats slipped to 11-3 and 5-2 with the loss. F&M entered tonight's game with a perfect 9-0 record at home this season.

F&M led by as many as nine points in the opening half and took a 32-27 lead into the intermission after Steve Tolliver knocked down a jump shot with two seconds to go in the period.

The Shoremen scored the first six points of the second half, taking the lead at 33-32 on a made basket by sophomore guard/forward Kevin Breslin (Hagerstown, MD/St. Maria Goretti) with 18:18 remaining in the half. F&M countered with a 9-1 spurt to build a 41-34 advantage on a lay-up by Anthony Brooks with 13:12 on the clock. Washington rallied to take a 46-45 lead on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Sal Schittino (Ellicott City, MD/Loyola Blakefield) with 8:13 to go in regulation. The Diplomats then scored the next five points to post a 50-46 advantage on a Brooks jump shot with 6:59 left. The Shoremen responded with a 10-5 spurt to take a 56-55 lead on a lay-up by senior forward Alan Kines (Towson, MD/Towson) with 2:25 to play in regulation. James McNally went one of two at the charity stripe with 1:04 to go to knot the score at 56-56 for the Diplomats. Neither team scored during the rest of regulation as Brooks missed a jumper on that buzzer to lead to the extra session.

Washington scored the first five points of overtime to surge ahead, 61-56, on a three-pointer by Chambers with 4:33 on the clock. F&M trimmed the margin to 61-60 on a Brooks lay-up with 2:30 to go, Breslin then sank two free throws to make it 63-60, but Brooks netted two of his own with 1:59 remaining to narrow the lead back to two at 63-62. Georgio Milligan made one of two free throws with 1:23 on the clock to tie the game at 63-63. The Shoremen called timeout with the ball and 47 seconds to go.

After a Breslin jump shot was blocked following the timeout, Kines recovered the ball and Chambers drained his three-pointer with 29 seconds left to give Washington a 66-63 edge. The Diplomats called inbounded the ball and called timeout with 17 seconds to go, Milligan then missed a three with 14 seconds left and Washington sophomore forward Chris Olsen (Ellicott City, MD/Mount St. Joseph) grabbed the rebound and was fouled with eight seconds to go. Olsen made both free throws to seal the win for the Shoremen at 68-63.

Kines finished with 16 points and a career-best 14 rebounds for the Shoremen. He also swiped a game-best four steals. Breslin added 16 points of his own along with seven boards, while Chambers finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Schittino chipped in nine points in 14 minutes off the bench.

Brooks had 21 points for the Diplomats to lead all scorers. James McNally added 19 points and eight rebounds, while Milligan contributed nine points, seven boards, six blocks, and three steals.

F&M shot 37.3% from the field in the game, while Washington shot 33.3%. The Shoremen were 10-for-15 at the free-throw line, while the Diplomats were just 18-of-32. Washington also held a commanding 57-44 advantage on the glass. The Shoremen rebounded more than half of their misses, finishing with 29 offensive rebounds against just 27 defensive rebounds for the Diplomats.

The win was Washington's first in Lancaster since a 72-65 victory on January 12, 2006.

The Shoremen return to action Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. Centennial Conference home game against Muhlenberg.