Game Notes

Getting set to return home for the first time in nearly a month, the Franklin & Marshall Men's Basketball team (8-2, 3-1) will wrap up non-conference play with a road matchup against Mary Washington on Wednesday before hosting McDaniel at the Mayser Center on Saturday. 

With a win over the Eagles, the Diplomats have a chance to post their most non-conference wins since the 2018-19 season, in which F&M finished with six out-of-conference victories. 

Last Week

Playing in the Washington & Lee Holiday Classic, the Diplomats  fell to W&L, 75-70, in the opening tilt of the tournament before defeating Susquehanna 75-67 in the consolation game. 

Trailing by as much as seven in the first half to the Generals, F&M continued to battle throughout the frame, eventually taking their first lead of the contest with 18 seconds remaining before the break. However, a made three-pointer by W&L on its final possession put the Generals ahead 39-38 heading into the locker rooms. With the score tied 46-46 at the 16-minute mark of the second half, the Diplomats were powered by an 8-0 run to take a 54-46 advantage. In front 59-54 with 12 minutes left to play, F&M fell behind after the Generals scored 11 straight points. Though the Diplomats made it a three-point game with 22 seconds remaining, F&M failed to score on its final two possessions as W&L came away with a 75-70 win. Read the full recap here. 

In a consolation matchup against the River Hawks, the Diplomats led for the entirety of the contest. By the 10-minute mark of the first half, F&M took a 21-12 advantage, holding Susquehanna to 4-of-16 shooting from the floor. After Susquehanna scored nine unanswered points to even the score, the Diplomats responded with a 6-0 run to jump back in front. Over the final six minutes, F&M outscored the River Hawks 17-6 to take a 38-27 lead into halftime. Susquehanna chipped away at the deficit in the opening minutes of the second frame, making it a 46-42 game with 14 minutes remaining, but a 7-0 run gave the Diplomats a double-digit advantage again. After F&M took its largest lead of the game at 13, the River Hawks made it a 71-66 game with 43 seconds, but the Diplomats hung on to a 75-67 win. Read the full recap here.

Last Time vs. Mary Washington

In its lone meeting in program history, F&M defeated the Eagles 79-55 at the Mayser Center on November 22, 2008. 

Last Time vs. McDaniel

With a spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament on the line in their 2023 regular season finale, the Diplomats knocked off McDaniel 58-56 behind a Josh Parra game-winning layup as time expired. The two teams went back-and-forth in the first half with the score tied 22-22 at the four-minute mark of the frame. However, layups made by Vakaris Grauslys and John Seidman, along with a Grauslys made free throw, put F&M up 27-24 at the half. The Diplomats led by as much as eight in the second frame, but the Green Terror stayed within striking distance the entire way, eventually evening the score at 49-49 with 3:40 left to go. Tied 56-56 with under two seconds remaining, Josh Parra caught an inbound pass and made a bucket within the paint as time expired to give F&M the win. Read the full recap here. 

Mary Washington Team Preview

Traveling to Atlanta, Ga. for the Emory Holiday Classic last week, the Eagles dropped their opening game to No. 14 Emory, 61-55, but defeated Maryville 79-71 the following day to cap off the tournament. The team has now faltered to an 8-5 record after starting out 6-2 on the year. Nationally, Mary Washington received three votes in the November 26 edition of the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, but has since dropped out altogether. 

As a team, the Eagles have displayed a strong defensive performance thus far, allowing opposing teams to a field goal percentage of 35.6, good for fifth in the country. They've also allowed the 10th fewest points per game in all of division III, limiting opponents to just over 60 points a contest. One of the weaknesses for Mary Washington, however, has been three point shooting, with less than six makes a game and under 30% shooting from deep.

Leading the way offensively for the Eagles has been Greg Rowson, averaging 14 points per night on over 45% shooting from the field along with nearly seven rebounds per game. Rowson has posted double-digits in all but two games this season, including a pair of double-doubles. The team's leading rebounder, Daniel Peterson, has recorded over seven boards a game, as well as close to 10 points per tilt. Against No. 14 Emory, Peterson tallied 12 points and 15 rebounds before blocking six shots the following the day against Maryville.  

McDaniel Team Preview

Coming into Saturday's matchup with a 5-5 record, the Green Terror have won just one conference game through four Centennial matchups thus far. Last week, McDaniel played in the Cyclone Holiday Classic in which it defeated the host, Centenary, 65-53, but lost to William Patterson 72-63. The Green Terror have also had division I experience this season, visiting Loyola Maryland in an exhibition tilt to open the year. 

Defensively, McDaniel has allowed under 64 points a game to its opponents, which ranks second in the conference and top-40 nationally. The Green Terror have also out-rebounded their opponents by over six boards a game, also good for second in the Centennial. Offensively, however, McDaniel is near the bottom in the conference with 65.4 points per game. 

The team's been led by Jonas Sujeta, who's averaging 15.5 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, both of which are team-bests. The sophomore has recorded a pair of double-doubles this year, and posted a career-high 29 points on December 8 against Penn State Berks. From beyond the arc, Sujeta has shot a team-high 41.9%.