LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall fell just short against Centennial Conference (CC) opponent Swarthmore, 62-60, on Saturday afternoon at the Mayser Center, despite a thrilling second-half comeback. The loss drops the Diplomats' record to 4-7, 1-5 CC, while the Garnet improve to 9-1, 5-0 CC.

Down by 15 points at 52-37 and with 12 minutes left in the second half, F&M went on a 16-0 run that was capped off with an Emily Wetz 3-pointer to give the Diplomats the 53-52 lead. F&M held onto the advantage until the 5:11 mark, when Swarthmore stepped to the line and tied the game 55-55.

The Diplomats pulled ahead by three at the 3:22 mark when Alexa Barbush found Elizabeth Snyder for the fastbreak layup. The three-point advantage held for F&M until a 3-pointer from Swarthmore's Katie Lytle tied the game at 60-60 with only 53 seconds remaining.

F&M launched a 3-pointer that fell short on the next possession and handed the ball back to the Garnet with 25 seconds left on the clock.  

Swarthmore heaved a three of their own, which fell short, but the Garnet were able to pull in the offensive board and draw the foul on the Diplomats with only six seconds remaining.

Swarthmore stepped to the line and converted both free throws to take the 62-60 lead and hold off the captivating second-half surge from F&M.

The Diplomats bench outscored the Garnet 23-3 on the afternoon, as eight players put points on the board. F&M outrebounded Swarthmore 48-38 and outshot the Garnet 37 percent to 36 percent.

Barbush paced the offense with 16 points, while Sam Plunkett tied a career-high with 12. Kristina McCarthy registered her third double-double of the season, recording 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Diplomats take to the road this Tuesday, facing off against Muhlenburg in CC action. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.

SWARTHMORE 62, FRANKLIN & MARSHALL 60

SWARTHMORE (9-1 (5-0 CC))

Katie Lytle 8-15 1-2 19; Elle Larsen 5-9 9-10 19; Kayla Moritzky 3-7 0-0 8; Madeline Ross 3-8 1-1 7; Eliza Polli 2-10 0-2 6; Jessica Jowdy 1-8 0-0 3; Abbey Deckard 0-2 0-0 0; Elizabeth Casey 0-0 0-0 0; Isabella Bellezza 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-61 11-15 62.

FRANKLIN & MARSHALL (4-7 (1-5 CC))

Alexa Barbush 5-14 6-7 16; Sam Plunkett 5-13 0-0 12; Kristina McCarthy 5-10 1-2 11; Elizabeth Snyder 3-9 1-5 8; Emily Wetz 2-3 0-0 5; Colleen Bott 2-7 0-0 4; Tracy Hahn 1-2 0-0 2; Emma Lisle 1-4 0-0 2; Caroline Studnicky 0-0 0-0 0; Hannah Rose Nussbaum 0-2 0-0 0; Kara Bacile 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-65 8-14 60.

Swarthmore....................   38   24  -   62

Franklin & Marshall...........   27   33  -   60

3-point goals--Swarthmore 7-23 (Eliza Polli 2-9; Kayla Moritzky 2-4; Katie Lytle 2-2; Jessica Jowdy 1-5; Abbey Deckard 0-1; Madeline Ross 0-2), Franklin & Marshall 4-14 (Sam Plunkett 2-8; Emily Wetz 1-1; Elizabeth Snyder 1-5).

Fouled out--Swarthmore-Madeline Ross, Franklin & Marshall-None.

Rebounds--Swarthmore 38 (Jessica Jowdy 8; Katie Lytle 8), Franklin & Marshall 48 (Kristina McCarthy 10; Elizabeth Snyder 10). Assists—Swarthmore 8 (Eliza Polli 3), Franklin & Marshall 16 (Alexa Barbush 7).

Total fouls--Swarthmore 16, Franklin & Marshall 14.

Technical fouls--Swarthmore-None, Franklin & Marshall-None.

A-106