Game Notes

Returning to Mayser Center for the first time since November 21, the Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (6-0) will welcome Johns Hopkins and Albright to Lancaster on Wednesday and Friday night, respectively. It will be the team's final set of games until the Diplomats travel to Lexington, Va. to participate in the Washington & Lee Holiday Classic between December 29 to December 30. 

Last Week

Opening the week with a road tilt at Gettysburg, F&M overcame a late surge by the Bullets to win 65-56. Early on, the Diplomats fell behind 18-9 at the 10-minute mark after Gettysburg scored 14 unanswered points. However, F&M immediately answered with a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to one with six-and-a-half minutes left to play in the first half. Trailing 22-20 at the five-minute mark, the Diplomats shot 5-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-3 from distance, to end the half and took a 33-30 edge into the break. In the first six minutes of the second frame, F&M went up 45-36 before a 12-2 Gettysburg run gave the Bullets a one-point advantage with just over six minutes remaining. With four minutes left in the game and Gettysburg leading 53-51, the Diplomats scored 11 unanswered points to take the lead for good. Scoring 24 points on the night, Vakaris Grauslys tallied 20 in the second half, including 12 in the final four minutes. Read the full recap here.

F&M then traveled to Haverford on Saturday  afternoon, where the Diplomats defeated the Fords 70-63 for their sixth win of the year. Leading for the entirety of the contest, F&M made each of its first three shots from beyond the arc to get out to a 9-0 advantage within the first four minutes. After taking their first double-digit lead of the game by the 14-minute mark, the Diplomats continued to increase gap, going up 30-14 with under seven minutes left in the first half. However, over the final six-and-a-half minutes, Haverford outscored F&M 14-3 and trailed 33-28 at halftime. In the opening two-minutes of the second period, the Diplomats went back up double-digits before an 8-0 run by the Fords made it a one-possession game with just over 13 remaining in the game. With F&M later leading 53-48, the Diplomats used a 6-0 run to pull away from Haverford and stayed in front by at least seven for the remainder of the contest. As a team, F&M shot a season-best 12-of-24 from the three-point line. Read the full recap here.

Last Time vs. Johns Hopkins

Facing the No. 9 Blue Jays at the Mayser Center, F&M fell to Johns Hopkins 71-59 in the second game of the 2022-23 season series. After the Diplomats began the game with a 5-0 advantage through the first two-and-a-half minutes, the Blue Jays outscored them 22-4 over the next seven minutes and never looked back. Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, the two teams traded 14 points each as Johns Hopkins led 36-25 heading into the break. 

Though F&M made a pair of layups to start the second frame, a quick 5-0 run by the Blue Jays put Johns Hopkins ahead by double-digits again. The Diplomats failed to close the gap to less than seven for the remainder of the game as the Blue Jays went on to win their 10th straight game over F&M.  Read the full recap here.

Last Time vs. Albright

On the road in Reading, Pa., the Diplomats outlasted the Lions 77-75 in their fourth game of the 2022-23 season. Just over six minutes into the contest, F&M took a 13-6 advantage behind 6-of-12 shooting from the field while holding Albright to 3-of-12. Later trailing 15-7, the Lions used a 14-3 run to take their first lead of the game. With the score then tied 21-21, Albright created separation with five unanswered points. The Lions went ahead by as much as nine for the remainder of the half, and took a 41-34 advantage heading into the locker room. 

In the opening three minutes of the second period, the Lions pushed their lead to 11 ,and later extended it to 12 with just over 13 minutes left to play in regulation. However, an 8-2 run by the Diplomats cut the deficit in half with under 10 minutes remaining, as they trailed 59-53. Continuing to chip away, F&M tied the game at 64-64 before a Mark Suchy three-pointer moments later gave the team its first lead since there were eight minutes left to go in the first half. With the Diplomats leading 73-72 the final minute of the game, Vakaris Grauslys drilled a shot from beyond the arc, but was answered by an Isaac Lapierra three-pointer on the end as F&M still held a one-point edge with 30 seconds remaining. After Albright failed to capitalize on a Diplomats turnover on the ensuing possession, John Seidman was fouled and made one of two free-throws to put F&M up  by two with nine seconds left on the clock. Jaylen Green then blocked the final shot attempt of the game for Albright, as the Diplomats escaped with a two-point win. Read the full recap here.

Johns Hopkins Team Preview

Starting the season ranked No. 12 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, the Blue Jays have since fallen out of the top-25 after posting a 4-4 record to begin the year. Of the team's four losses, three have come at the hands of ranked opponents in No. 8 NYU, No. 10 Christopher Newport and No. 13 Washington University. Johns Hopkins also fell to Gettysburg in conference play, but recovered with back-to-back wins over McDaniel and Muhlenberg. 

Led by John Windley in scoring, the junior has averaged 13.9 points a game with a pair of 20-point performances on the season. Windley has also been shooting 37% from deep while making 2.5 three-pointers a game. The efforts have been a part of a conference-leading 9.4 three-pointers a game on 34.7% shooting as a team. Johns Hopkins also boasts the conference's leading rebounder in Sidney Thybulle, who has averaged 9.3 boards per game, including over four per game on the offensive glass. However, the Blue Jays have turned the ball over 12.5 a game while forcing 11.6 themselves, and have allowed a conference-worst 37.7% shooting from the three-point line.

Albright Team Preview

Starting the season 4-2, the Lions are riding a two-game winning streak coming into the week. Of its two losses, one was to a 2023 NCAA qualifier in Marymount, who defeated Albright in a one-possession game that went to overtime. In their wins, the Lions have averaged a scoring margin of 22.5, most recently routing FDU-Florham 91-66. 

Albright's leading scorer on the year has been Eric Chamberlain, who has posted 19.3 points per game on 57.1% shooting from the field. The 2023 MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year, Chamberlain has also tallied 4.5 steals per game, which ranks second in the nation. On the glass, Chris Kouemi has averaged 8.2 rebounds a game while also registering 12.3 points per contest. Jeremiah Stanton has dished out over five assists a game and is coming off of a career-best nine assist game against FDU. 

As a team, the Lions have been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country with 10.5 makes per game, good for 13th in the nation. They've also recorded the 19th most rebounds per game in all of division III with 44.7 and the 19th most blocks per game with 5.5. Albright has, however, allowed 75 points a game, which is second-to-last in the MAC Commonwealth.