Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (6-3) returns from the winter break with a pair of home non-conference contests ahead of the beginning of Centennial Conference action on Saturday, January 11. They face (RV) Virginia Wesleyan on Monday before hosting Mary Washington on Thursday. F&M has five wins in their last six games, only falling to No. 10 Christopher Newport in early December.

Last Time Out

F&M last played over three weeks ago, earning an 84-68 win at Neumann on December 5. Kevin Nowoswiat posted his third double-double of the campaign via 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, shooting 7-of-13 on field goals and 7-of-9 on free throws. Dylan Cormac contributed 17 points, including five threes. Franklin Jones led the team with four steals, while Vakaris Grauslys had five assists. F&M's bench contributed 35 points in the contest, while the team won on rebounds 42-32.

F&M scored the first eight points of the contest, a lead they would never concede. Threes from Nowoswiat and John Seidman kicked off that eight point run, while Neumann countered with five of the next seven points to get back to 10-5. Four-straight Diplomats points from Grauslys pushed the lead out to 14-7. The teams traded buckets over the next period of the game, while the Diplomats reached a double-digit lead for the first time at 29-19 with 8:19 to go via a Cormac three. They eventually carried a 42-30 lead into the halftime break. 

Neumann scored four points to kick off the second half, closing back within eight points. A Nowoswiat three and free throw from Jones neutralized the threat. The teams traded buckets for a spell before a Cormac three pushed the lead to 14 at 58-44. Another three from him later on gave F&M a 20-point lead for the first time with 9:30 left. The team traded buckets the rest of the way, with the Diplomats eventually winning by 16 points. The full recap is available here.

Last Time vs. Virginia Wesleyan

The No. 18 Diplomats' 2010-11 NCAA Tournament run came to a close in the Second Round at No. 10 Virginia Wesleyan by a 79-71 scoreline in the only matchup between the teams to date. The game opened with four ties and six lead changes in the first ten minutes, with F&M drawing an advantage with a 6-0 run to lead 26-21. A 14-5 run later on gave them a game-high 40-28 advantage with 1:10 to play. The Marlins scored the final five points of the half to put the score at 40-33 with 20 minutes to play. F&M held their lead through the opening stages of the second half, leading 60-51 with ten minutes left. Seven-straight from Virginia Wesleyan brought the lead to just 60-58. Georgio Milligan countered this run with four points to hold a 64-61 lead. F&M conceded four straight fouls, with the Marlins taking the lead on the last occasion at 66-65 with 3:19 to go. Seven-straight points for the hosts put them ahead 72-65 with a minute to go. Milligan got F&M within five points twice, but the Diplomats got no closer. Milligan recorded his third double-double of the season with 30 points and ten rebounds, shooting 50% on field goals. Mike Baker and James McNally each had 18 points. Read the full recap here.  

Virginia Wesleyan Team Preview

The (RV) Marlins (8-2, 3-0 ODAC) play their first official contest since mid-December after winning the North Beach Plastic Surgery Winter Classic with a 61-58 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Sunday, December 15. Khai Seargeant earned the tournament's MVP honors following a 21-point performance in the championship game, while Amari Moorer and Waylo Wilson joined him on the All-Tournament Team. Moorer scored 13 points with eight rebounds, while Wilson posted eight points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots. The teams sparred to start the contest, with the score level on three occasions in the first seven minutes. Wisconsin-Whitewater found themselves down by five points with two minutes to go in the first half before posting eight unanswered to lead 28-25 at the break.  The Marlins had a 7-0 run early on in the second half that was countered by four points from their opponents, giving Wisconsin-Whitewater a 38-36 lead. The teams traded buckets for much of the half, with a Seargeant jumper giving Virginia Wesleyan a 58-56 lead with a minute to go. Paul Anderson passed to Wilson for a pivotal dunk to move ahead by four points, as their opponents converted a jump shot but got no closer. 

Virginia Wesleyan returned from the Christmas break with an exhibition contest against Division I Old Dominion University on Saturday, December 28, falling 82-44. Jeremiah Boateng led the team with nine points and six rebounds, while Wilson scored seven points in ten minutes of action. After trailing just 32-20 through one half, Old Dominion outscored the Marlins 50-24 in the second half.

The Marlins have the ODAC's third-best scoring margin (15.1) and have the best field-goal defense (38.8%) and three-point defense (26.2% )in the conference. They also ranked fourth in turnover margin (2.70). Seargeant ranks 11th in the ODAC in points per game (14.4), while Moorer is third in rebounds per game (8.0). Wilson is fourth in blocked shots per game (12.5), while Anderson is tied for fifth in steals per game (2.1).

Last Time vs. Mary Washington

F&M wrapped up non-conference play last year with a 63-46 loss on the road to Mary Washington. Kevin Nowoswiat recorded his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.  The score was 4-4 through the opening five minutes when Kola Lysynecky delivered a three for a 7-4 F&M lead. This was countered by two buckets from the Eagles. An 8-0 run for Mary Washington gave them a 16-11 lead. F&M stayed within three points with six minutes to go. A Nowoswiat three in the last minute of the half put F&M down just 29-27, but two free throws from Mary Washington concluded the first half with the Eagles up 31-27.  The Diplomats were unable to convert a shot in the first three minutes of the second half, with Mary Washington using a 6-0 run to lead by ten points. Another 6-0 run put their lead at 14, and it stayed around that margin through the end of the game. Read the full recap here.  

Mary Washington Team Preview

The Eagles (6-5) split their results at last week's DeSales Holiday Tournament with a last-second 63-62 loss to the hosts DeSales on Saturday and a 79-69 win over No. 13 Gettysburg on Sunday afternoon. The loss to DeSales saw the Eagles claw back from a halftime deficit with a 15-0 run to hold a narrow lead in the later moments. The teams drew level at 59-59 with 3:11 to go. DeSales went ahead with a pair of free throws followed by a Kaden Bates three for Mary Washington to lead 62-61 with 1:59 left. Neither team scored on their next possession, but DeSales found the winner with a second left by rebounding a missed layup. Bates had 17 points and shot 7-of-12 on field goals. Kye Robinson totaled 15 points, shooting 6-of-8 field goals. 

Ulysses Young posted a career-high 21 points in the win over No. 13 Gettysburg, while Zack Blue contributed 20 points. Jay Randall and Robinson also totaled double-digits. After falling behind by seven points in the opening five minutes, the Eagles soon fought back to hold a 13-point advantage at the halftime break, ending the half on an 18-5 run. Gettysburg got as close as four in the second half, but Mary Washington eventually secured a double-digit win. Threes were key to the Eagles' success, as the team converted 9-of-20. Young's career-high 21 points saw him shoot 6-of-8 field goals, 4-of-6 threes, and 5-of-6 free throws.

Among Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference teams, the Eagles lead in field goal percentage (46.7%) and three point field goal percentage (35.8%). Bates' 58.7% field goal percentage ranks third among Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference players, while Blue ranks fourth in three point field goal percentage (39.1%). Blue and Randall lead the team with 12.5 points per game. Jadon Burgess leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (5.3), while Blue averages the most steals per game (2.3).

F&M Individuals in the Centennial Conference Top 10 (As of 12/29/24)

Points Per Game
3. Kevin Nowoswiat (20.4)

Rebounds Per Game
1. Kevin Nowoswiat (8.4)
6. Josh Parra (7.9)

Field Goal Percentage
4. Kevin Nowoswiat (52.6%)

Free Throw Percentage
10. Vakaris Grauslys (75.0%)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game
T6. Kevin Nowoswiat (2.0)

Assists Per Game
5. Vakaris Grauslys (3.2)
8. John Seidman (3.0)
T9. Kevin Nowoswiat (2.7)

Assists/Turnover Ratio
T3. Vakaris Grauslys (1.6)
T6. John Seidman (1.5)

Blocked Shots Per Game
3. Josh Parra (1.4)

Steals Per Game
3. Vakaris Grauslys (2.0)
T8. Franklin Jones (1.4)
T8. Josh Parra (1.4)

Minutes Per Game
2. Kevin Nowoswiat (34.3)
T9. Vakaris Grauslys (30.6)