Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (11-6, 3-2 Centennial) earned a pair of Centennial Conference wins last week at the Mayser Gymnasium, defeating Haverford on Wednesday and Dickinson on Saturday. Josh Parra recorded his 1,000th career point on Saturday, becoming the 37th Diplomat to reach the mark. F&M plays a pair of away contests this week, as they travel to Washington College on Wednesday and McDaniel on Saturday. 

Last Week

F&M moved back above .500 in Centennial Conference action with a pair of home wins last week. The Diplomats earned an 86-61 win over Haverford on Wednesday before beating Dickinson, 65-63, on Saturday. 

Kevin Nowoswiat led the offense in the win over Haverford, as he recorded 22 points and eight rebounds, shooting 10-of-14 on field goals. Vakaris Grauslys totaled ten points and led the team in both steals (5) and assists (4). Steve Donahue was 3-of-4 on threes. F&M generated 17 points from turnovers and forced 22 turnovers from the Fords while limiting their own turnovers to nine. F&M opened the game on a 13-2 run through the first 6:30. Haverford stalled the run with five straight points before F&M scored six of their own to lead 19-7 midway through the first half. The Fords used a 13-5 run to close the deficit to 32-26 with 2:51 left, and F&M eventually carried a 39-32 lead into the break. Haverford got within a point on a 7-1 run in the opening 75 seconds of the second half, but F&M built a cushion off a Franklin Jones dunk and Dylan Cormac three. Back-to-back threes from Donahue stretched the lead back out to 51-41, and F&M eventually stretched the lead to 73-57 with 4:13 left. The game ended at 86-61. A full recap is available here.

Josh Parra reached 1,000 points in Saturday's win over Dickinson, as he recorded 12 points, two blocked shots, two steals, five rebounds, and two assists. Grauslys led the team with 17 points and six steals, while Nowoswiat recorded a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double. Cormac was 4-of-7 on threes, while John Seidman led the team with a season-high seven assists. Cormac opened the game with back-to-back threes, and F&M countered a four-point run from the Red Devils with another 6-0 run to lead 12-4. Dickinson scored five straight and soon used an eight-point run to lead 22-21. The teams traded the lead a few times over the next few minutes, with Dickinson eventually carrying a 29-27 lead into halftime. F&M kicked off the second half with a 15-1 run for a 40-30 advantage. Dickinson eventually reduced the margin to 48-44 with 9:52 left. F&M held a modest lead entering the final 90 seconds, leading 63-60. Grauslys sank 1-of-2 free throws, followed by a Dickinson layup. Dickinson then converted 1-of-2 free throws a possession later to trail by one. Grauslys would be fouled, and he converted one free throw for a two-point lead with ten seconds left. Dickinson's last layup was unsuccessful for a Diplomats victory. A full recap is available here.

Last Time vs. Washington College

The Diplomats concluded the regular season with a 66-55 win at the Mayser Center over the Shoremen to complete a season sweep. Grauslys led F&M in scoring with 18 points, including five three-pointers and five rebounds. Seidman led the team with six assists and contributed seven points. Omar Nichols had 13 points including three shots beyond the arc, while Parra and Nowoswiat (three three-pointers) each totaled 11 points. The team converted on half of its three's, and the 14 made shots was the most in a game last season. 

The sides were level at 7-7 through the first four minutes, and again drew level at 12-12. At this point, F&M posted a 21-4 run that included five three-pointers to lead 33-16 with four minutes left in the first half. The Shoremen found some momentum, going on a 10-0 run over the final four minutes, with Grauslys breaking the run with a three with a second to left. F&M led 36-26 at the break.

The teams traded buckets in the opening stages of the second half, although an 8-2 Shoremen run put the lead at six points with nine minutes left. F&M countered with a 6-1 run over the next couple of minutes, while three consecutive threes, including two from Grauslys, pushed their lead back out to 15. A full recap is available here.  

Washington College Team Preview

The Shoremen (7-10, 2-3 Centennial) split their Centennial Conference results last week, falling 67-28 on Wednesday at Swarthmore before earning a 63-53 win hosting Haverford on Saturday. 

Ben Costello led the team with nine points, while Ethan Schwantes posted a team-best eight rebounds. Swarthmore was quick to build a comfortable lead, scoring 15 of the first 17 points through the first seven minutes. Washington responded with a 8-2 stretch to trail 17-10 with 10:30 to play. From there, the Garnet posted 16 unanswered points for a 33-10 lead at the halftime break. The Shoremen were then outscored 34-18 in the second half. 

Nolan Waldon led the Washington offense with 18 points against Haverford, while Schwantes collected 15 points. The Shoremen led 9-6 through the opening four minutes, but Haverford bounced back with a 19-15 lead through the first ten minutes. The gap would hold for the rest of the half, as the Fords carried a 27-24 lead into the halftime break. The Fords pushed out to a 43-36 lead through the first six minutes of the half, but the Shoremen struck back with a 12-0 run to lead 48-43 with 11:30 left. They outscored their opponents 15-10 the rest of the way, earning a 63-53 win. 

Waldon leads the team offensively, averaging 12.2 points per game, while Schwantes is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game. Waldon ranks second in the conference in steals per game (2.4), while Schwantes and Precieux Tshibangu are tied for sixth in blocked shots per game (1.0). 

Last Time vs. McDaniel

Nowoswiat totaled 27 points in a controlled win over McDaniel at home earlier this month. He was 12-of-19 on field goals with nine rebounds and a team-best five assists. Grauslys scored 12 points, going 6-of-6 on free throws, with a team-high four steals. Sam Davison delivered nine points in nine minutes from the bench, not missing any of his field goals that included two threes. John Seidman was also perfect when shooting, totaling nine points. F&M opened the game with a 4-1 lead via layups from Parra and  Jones, but a three from McDaniel tied the game at four. A McDaniel layup was then followed up by a Grauslys three. McDaniel again retook the lead on a jump shot, but a Seidman layup plus an and-one gave F&M the lead for good at 9-8. Seidman's three began an 8-0 run to give F&M a 15-8 lead with 11:02 remaining in the first half. McDaniel posted five straight points and soon got within a point at 21-20 with 6:16 left. Nine-straight points, including seven from Nowoswiat, put the Diplomats ahead 35-25 at the halftime break. An early 8-0 run for F&M over the first six minutes of the second half gave F&M a lead of 43-25. The lead reached a high of 25 at 64-39 before reaching a finale of 71-49. F&M shot 52.0% on field goals, 42.9% on threes, and 90.0% on free throws, while F&M outrebounded their opponents 32-23. A full recap is available here.  

McDaniel Team Preview

McDaniel (11-6, 1-4 Centennial) enters the week looking to break a run of three-straight losses after falling 65-41 at Johns Hopkins on Wednesday before losing 62-61 at home to Ursinus on Saturday.

The Green Terror could not erase a 35-13 deficit at halftime against Johns Hopkins in their loss. Matt Kearney recorded a career-high 11 points from the bench. Ryan Shaffer totaled seven points from the bench, while Mikey Ayala Jr. had six points. The Blue Jays opened the game with an 11-1 run, and their lead soon expanded to 19-4 through the first ten minutes. Ayala Jr. and Jonas Sujeta broke the run with threes before Johns Hopkins ended the half with a 16-3 run, leading 35-13 through 20 minutes. Matt Kearney scored the first five points of the half for the Green Terror, but Johns Hopkins slowly built their lead to 28 with 4:29 left, eventually leading 65-41. The Green Terror was kept to 30.2% on field goals in the first half, and they were shot 16.7% on threes throughout the game.

A Ursinus free throw with six seconds left proved the game winner, as McDaniel fell 62-61 to snap a nine-game home winning streak that dated back to January 27, 2024. Chuck Contee led the offense with 13 points alongside three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. David Kearney recorded 12 points, three rebounds, and two steals, while Sujeta had 11 points, two rebounds, and two blocked shots. Ursinus held a 27-20 lead through the first 13 minutes, but McDaniel closed the gap over the remaining time with a 15-5 run, trailing 35-32 at the halftime break. They reached a game-high lead of 55-47 with 9:38 in the second half, but the Bears closed the gap thanks to a 10-0 run, leading 57-55 with six minutes to go. The teams traded buckets the rest of the way, and they eventually were tied at 61 each with 30 seconds to go. Ursinus drew a foul with six seconds left, missed the first free throw, and converted the second free throw. McDaniel fired a three with two seconds left and missed the tip-in at the buzzer to give Ursinus the win. 

The Green Terror are averaging the second-fewest points allowed per game (63.7) among Centennial Conference sides. They also rank second in field goal percentage (44.7%) and rebounding margin (8.2). Contee ranks seventh in the conference in points per game (15.1), while he ranks fourth in three-point field goals per game (2.1) and second in free throw percentage (84.6%). He is also averaging the most minutes per game of any Centennial Player, spending 33.5 minutes per game on the court. Sujeta has the third-best field goal percentage (53.3%) in the conference. 

F&M Among Centennial Conference Sides (As of 1/27/25)

1st in Scoring Margin (6.6)
2nd in Steals Per Game (8.65)
2nd in Turnover Margin (1.88)
2nd in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.04)
3rd in Points Allowed Per Game (65.1)
3rd in Field Goal Percentage (44.6%)
3rd in Assists Per Game (13.41)
4th in Opponent Field Goal Percentage (42.1%)
4th in Opponent Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (30.2%)
5th in Points Per Game (71.8)
5th in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (34.7)
5th in Three-Point Field Goals Per Game (8.2)

F&M Individuals in the Centennial Conference Top 10 (As of 1/27/25)

Points Per Game
2. Kevin Nowoswiat (19.8)

Rebounds Per Game
1. Kevin Nowoswiat (7.6)
4. Josh Parra (7.0)

Field Goal Percentage 

4. Kevin Nowoswiat (53.1%)

Free Throw Percentage

10. Vakaris Grauslys (77.1%)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game
3. Dylan Cormac (2.2)

Assists Per Game
T4. Vakaris Grauslys (3.0)
T4. Johh Seidman (3.0)
6. Kevin Nowoswiat (2.9)

Assist/Turnover Ratio
2. Vakaris Grauslys (1.6)
5. John Seidman (1.4)

Blocked Shots Per Game
3. Josh Parra (1.3)

Steals Per Game
1. Vakaris Grauslys (2.5)
T6. Josh Parra (1.4)
T6. Franklin Jones (1.4)

Minutes Per Game
4. Kevin Nowoswiat (33.2)
8. Vakaris Grauslys (31.7)