Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (9-4, 1-0 Centennial Conference) enters a full week of Centennial Conference play, as they host (RV) Gettysburg on Wednesday, January 15, before heading to Johns Hopkins on Saturday, January 18. The Diplomats enter the week with a three-game winning streak, including a 71-49 win in the Centennial Conference opener over McDaniel on Saturday. Kevin Nowoswiat earned Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.

Last Week

F&M earned wins in both of its contests last week, earning a narrow 65-62 win at (RV) Hamilton to conclude non-conference play on Tuesday before opening Centennial Conference competition with a 71-49 win hosting McDaniel on Saturday. 

F&M very quickly erased an eight-point deficit at halftime to Hamilton, leading for much of a close second half in their 65-62 win on Tuesday. Kevin Nowoswiat totaled 18 points, shooting 7-of-13 on field goals with seven rebounds. Dylan Cormac posted 13 points from the bench, shooting 3-of-8 on threes. Vakaris Grauslys was perfect on eight trips to the free throw line, as he totaled ten points, and led the team with three steals and a pair of blocked shots. Hamilton kicked off the game with an 8-0 run that gave them a 10-2 lead. F&M called timeout at the end of the run and closed the gap with a five-point John Seidman run. The Continentals countered this with a 7-1 stretch to push their lead to 17-8 with 9:30 to go. A Nowoswiat three broke the run momentarily, as Hamilton then scored seven straight via two threes and a free throw to now lead 24-11. The teams traded buckets for a spell before a six-point run from F&M brought the lead to 30-26 with a minute left in the half. Hamilton pushed their lead back to eight by halftime.

F&M got within four points before falling back to a 40-33 deficit through four minutes of the second half. F&M responded with five points, including a Cormac three, to get within two points. Layups from Asad Syed and Nowoswiat gave the team their first lead of the contest at 42-41 with 13:35 left. Hamilton took the lead for a possession with a three, as Cormac's three in response gave F&M a lead that would hold the rest of the way. The lead never got larger than four, though, with Hamilton down 61-57 with 1:15 left. A three got them within one, but Grauslys drew a foul and sank both free throws to go up by three. The Continentals scored two and forced a turnover from the Diplomats for a chance to take the lead. They missed a jumper that went out of play for F&M possession and a one-point lead with 15 seconds left. After an unsuccessful possession, F&M earned a defensive rebound via Sebastien Charles who was fouled. He sank both free throws for a three-point lead with three seconds to go, and Hamilton could not get a shot off. A full recap is available here.

F&M led for much of their 71-49 win over McDaniel on Saturday. Nowoswiat again led the offensive with 27 points, shooting 12-of-19 on field goals and leading the team with nine rebounds. Grauslys posted 12 points, again going perfect at the charity stripe (6-of-6) with four steals. Sam Davison tallied eight points from the bench, including two threes with no missed field goals, while John Seidman was also perfect with nine points via two threes, a field goal, and a free throw. Josh Parra opened the scoring with a layup, and a later Franklin Jones steal and layup gave F&M a 4-1 lead. McDaniel scored a three tied things at four each, and they took the lead two minutes later with a layup. This was directly countered by a Grauslys three to give F&M a 7-6 lead. McDaniel again retook the layup on a layup, but a Seidman layup and free throw began an 8-0 run for the hosts for a 15-8 lead in the first nine minutes. McDaniel closed the gap with a 5-0 run and soon got within a point at 21-20 with 6:16 left in the first half. F&M struck for nine unanswered points over the next two minutes, including seven points from Nowoswiat, and they soon led 35-35 at halftime.

The Diplomats kicked off the second half with an 8-0 run in the first six minutes, and the lead stayed around this mark for the early part of the half. A later 9-2 run gave the team a game-high lead of 25 at 64-39 before eventually winning 71-49. F&M shot 52.0% on field goals, 42.9% on threes, and 90.0% on free throws. They also outrebounded the Green Terror 32-23 and limited turnovers to nine, which is tied for the fewest in a game this year. A full recap is available here. A full recap is available here.

Last Time vs. Gettysburg

F&M completed a season sweep of (RV) Gettysburg with a 81-76 home victory at the Mayser Center last January. It marked the first sweep of the Bullets since the 2017-18 season.  Vakaris Grasulys shot a career-high 29 points, going 14-of-15 on free throws, 3-of-3 on three's, and 6-of-9 on field goals with four assists. Josh Parra totaled 22 points, shooting 10-of-18 field goals alongside two blocks. Kevin Nowoswiat had 13 points, going 6-of-11 on field goals. Strong individual offensive performances were complemented by the team combining for just six turnovers, the fewest in any game in the regular season. 

The Bullets drew the early advantage, leading 13-4 inside the first four minutes. Back-to-back threes from F&M closed the gap to three, while a pair of Gettysburg layups pushed their lead to seven. A 10-4 run later on for F&M put them down by a point with seven minutes in the period. A Nowoswiat layup began an 8-2 run that put F&M in control 39-35 at halftime.  

The Bullets worked their way back to open the second half, tying the game on a three at 45-45 through the first three-and-a-half minutes. They drew ahead 47-46 before a 6-0 run gave F&M a lead they would hold the rest of the way, with one more time at 52-52. Grauslys countered that with a three. A 10-1 run for F&M gave them a game-high ten point lead with four minutes to go. The Bullets got back within four points with a minute to go via a 10-2 run, but Grauslys drew a foul and sank both buckets to bring the lead to six. A Gettysburg three with eight seconds saw them call timeout, but they were forced to foul Grauslys upon returning who converted on both of his shots from the charity stripe. Read the full recap here.  

(RV) Gettysburg Team Preview

The Bullets (9-4, 0-1 Centennial) played just one contest last week, as the Bullets suffered a 75-67 loss hosting Johns Hopkins on Saturday. Jordan Stafford scored 15 points for Gettysburg, and he became the 28th Bullet to reach 1,000 points with 1:48 left in the game. Akim Joseph led scoring with 17 points alongside six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Carl Schaller also posted 17 points, converting 6-of-9 field goals with three steals and one assist. Gettysburg earned a 9-4 lead through the opening four minutes, but a 9-0 run from Johns Hopkins in a two-minute spell put them ahead by four. After pushing ahead by seven, Gettysburg used a 5-0 run for a 18-16 deficit. Three consecutive shots from the Blue Jays put them back ahead by nine, although Gettysburg used a 10-2 run to get back within one point with a minute left in the first half. Gettysburg held a 43-41 lead through the opening four minutes of the second half. At 47-47, the Blue Jays scored five straight  and soon stretched their lead to ten points at 62-52 with 8:20 to go. Gettysburg got within four points but no closer the rest of the way.

The Bullets have the Centennial Conference's third-best scoring offense, averaging 75.8 points per game. They also rank first in blocked shots per game (5.54), fourth in rebounding margin (4.2), and fourth in turnover margin (-0.31). Aidan Mess leads all Centennial Conference players by averaging 8.2 rebounds per game, and he also leads in blocked shots per game (2.6). His blocked shots figure is tied for the 13th-best in DIII. Schaller leads the team in scoring and ranks ninth in the conference with 15.5 points per game and is averaging the eighth-most steals per game (1.3). Stafford leads qualifying players in the conference with a 57.0% field goal percentage.

Last Time vs. Johns Hopkins

The Blue Jays ended the Diplomats 2023-24 Centennial Conference Tournament run in the semifinal round, earning a 76-55 victory over the Diplomats. Parra had his seventh double-double of the season via 15 points and ten rebounds alongside three steals and two blocked shots, while Grauslys had nine points and a team-best five assists.

The Diplomats scored the first seven points of the game but soon struggled to just one field goal across a seven-minute period where they were outscored 15-5. The Blue Jays eventually carried 38-26 lead into the halftime break. The teams traded buckets early in the second half, with a 6-1 run in the middle stages pushing their lead to 16. The lead reached 20 at 64-45 with 7:30 to play, and the lead hovered around that mark the rest of the way. The hosts had a 39-31 advantage in boards, while they shot 50.0% on field goals compared to a 35.1% field goal percentage for F&M. Read the full recap here.  

Johns Hopkins Team Preview

Johns Hopkins (6-6, 1-0 Centennial) split results last week, falling 85-66 to No. 12 Christopher Newport to conclude non-conference play before earning a 75-67 win at (RV) Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference opener. Wyatt Eglington Manner led the Blue Jays offense against Christopher Newport with a career-best 16 points and six rebounds. John Windley posted 13 points and a team-best eight rebounds. After starting the game with a 6-3 lead, the Blue Jays fell to a 23-4 run from the Captains over the next nine minutes to fall behind 26-10. A 7-2 run for Johns Hopkins put them back within 11 points with 6:32 in the first half. A 9-4 run to cap the half put them behind by nine points at the break. The Blue Jays closed the gap to 42-38 to open the second half, but a 9-0 run in two minutes from CNU pushed their lead back to double digits. A 20-10 run from the Captains over the middle stages gave them an 18-point advantage with 4:40 to go, and the Blue Jays got no closer than 12 the rest of the way.

The Blue Jays bounced back on the weekend, as five players scored double digits in their win over the Bullets. Brian Johansson led the team with 16 points, followed by 15 from Charles Jackson who led the team with three steals.. Eglinton Manner and Jeb Williams each had ten points, while Windley scored three threes and ten points total. Tanti Felli chipped in with three blocked shots and a pair of steals. Gettysburg earned a 9-4 lead through the opening four minutes, but a 9-0 run from Johns Hopkins in a two-minute spell put them ahead by four. After pushing ahead by seven, Gettysburg used a 5-0 run for a 18-16 deficit. Three consecutive shots from the Blue Jays put them back ahead by nine, although Gettysburg used a 10-2 run to get back within one point with a minute left in the first half. Gettysburg held a 43-41 lead through the opening four minutes of the second half. At 47-47, the Blue Jays scored five straight  and soon stretched their lead to ten points at 62-52 with 8:20 to go. Gettysburg got within four points but no closer the rest of the way.

The Blue Jays lead the conference in free throw percentage (76.3%) and rank second in rebounding margin (8.5). The team has struggled with turnovers, ranking last in turnover margin (4.92). Windley leads the conference in scoring, posting 17.5 points per game, which is tied for third in the Centennial Conference. He also leads the conference in three-point field goals per game (2.9). Jackson is tied for fifth in rebounds per game (6.8), while Felli is tied for ninth in blocked shots per game (0.8).

F&M Among Centennial Conference Sides (As of 1/13/24)

1st in Scoring Margin (7.3)
2nd in Points Allowed Per Game (64.0)
2nd in Opponent Field Goal Percentage (41.2%)
2nd in Turnover Margin (1.00)
2nd in Steals Per Game (8.31)
3rd in Assist/Turnover Ratio (0.98)
3rd in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (34.7%)
3rd in Opponent Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (29.1%)
4th in Field Goal Percentage (44.2%)
5th in Rebounding Margin (2.7)
5th in Assists Per Game (13.00)

F&M Individuals in the Centennial Conference Top 10 (As of 1/13/24)

Points Per Game
2. Kevin Nowoswiat (19.6)

Rebounds Per Game
2. Kevin Nowoswiat (8.0)
4 Josh Parra (7.2)

Field Goal Percentage 

4. Kevin Nowoswiat (52.7%)

Free Throw Percentage

8. Vakaris Grauslys (78.4%)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game
T8. Kevin Nowoswiat (2.0)

Assists Per Game
4. Vakaris Grauslys (2.9)
T5. John Seidman (2.8)
T5. Kevin Nowoswiat (2.8)

Assists/Turnover Ratio
T2. Vakaris Grauslys (1.5)

Blocked Shots Per Game
T3. Josh Parra (1.2)

Steals Per Game
T2. Vakaris Grauslys (2.3)
T5. Franklin Jones (1.5)

Minutes Per Game
3. Kevin Nowoswiat (33.1)
10. Vakaris Grauslys (31.0)