WESTMINSTER, Md. – Franklin & Marshall dropped a 54-44 contest in its Centennial Conference (CC) opener on Wednesday night. The loss dropped the Diplomats to 1-2, 0-1 CC, while the Green Terror improved to 3-0, 1-0 CC.

Both defenses were strong in the early going as McDaniel held a 7-6 lead with 12:46 left in the first half as Hannah Rose Nussbaum scored all six points for the Diplomats. With 5:54 remaining in the first, the Green Terror went ahead 21-12 with a 14-6 run and increased the lead to 28-20 at halftime. 

Nussbaum scored 14 points in the first half to lead the Diplomats, while Sarah Haddon and Emma Lisle each added five rebounds.

The Diplomats came out strong in the second half as F&M cut McDaniel's lead to five points with 15:39 left in the contest. However, the Green Terror countered with a 12-2 run to go up 46-31 with 8:43 remaining in the game. A Jessica Dowicz jump shot cut McDaniel's lead to 11 with 4:02 to go, but the Green Terror made four free throws in the final 2:10 to secure the victory.

F&M outrebounded McDaniel, 53-38, while the Diplomats held the Green Terror to 33 percent shooting from the floor.

Nussbaum finished the game with 17 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the floor, tying her career high, while Dowicz added nine points off the bench. Lisle recorded 13 rebounds and Kristina McCarthy pulled down 11 boards.

The Diplomats return home on Saturday to face off against York in non-conference play. The game is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.