Cardinals Finish Second in ECAC Tournament

LANCASTER, PA. (March 5, 2005) - Brandon Smith scored 18 points to lead host Franklin & Marshall College to the ECAC Southern Region tournament championship with a 66-56 victory over Catholic University at Mayser Center on Saturday.

Smith added eight rebounds and was named tournament MVP for the Diplomats (23-7).

Shane Sowden led the Cardinals (20-10) with 13 points and nine rebounds. Steven Papageorge hit 4 of 5 3-pointers off the bench for 12 points, and Matt Spierenburg totaled 10 points, six blocks and four rebounds.

F&M's Logan Outerbridge and Bryan Teschke scored 12 points apiece, and Jackiem Wright had 11. The Diplomats, who led 28-23 at halftime, hit all 18 of their free throws and forced 21 CUA turnovers.

The Cardinals ran their streak of consecutive postseason appearances and 20-win seasons to eight under first-year Coach Steve Howes. F&M handed CUA two of its 2004-05 defeats, including an 81-64 victory at DuFour Center in December.


Sowden, DeBorger Named to Capital Athletic Conference First Teams

WASHINGTON (March 3, 2005) – Men’s and women’s basketball standouts Shane Sowden and Jackie DeBorger capped outstanding regular seasons by being chosen members of the Capital Athletic Conference's first team.

Sowden, a junior forward from St. Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington, Del., led his team to the CAC finals averaging 15.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He also leads the conference in field goal shooting percentage at .616.

The Cardinal men (19-9, 9-5 CAC) ended their streak of seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances by losing at York (Pa.) College, 73-62, in the CAC Tournament championship game Sunday but accepted an invitation to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern tournament. After defeating Desales University, 72-71 in overtime, they will face Carnegie Mellon University this Friday in the semifinal round.

DeBorger, from Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, N.Y., was one of two sophomores to make the first team and was twice named CAC player of the week during the regular season. A jack of all trades for the Cardinal women, DeBorger averaged 13.1 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

The team, which posted a 20-7 overall record including an 11-3 mark in the CAC, went on a 14-game win streak breaking the school record that stood at 10. The women also won 20 games for the second year in a row -- a feat not accomplished before the 2003-04 season.


Previous Headlines
Former Men's Basketball Coach Mike Lonergan Accepts Position at Vermont (3/1/05)
Sowden Earns CAC Athlete of the Week Honors (1/17/05)


2004-05 MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
20-10 Overall, 9-5 CAC
Cumulative Stats

* Capital Athletic Conference
% Alumni Game