LANCASTER, Pa. – Jon Salandra scored a career-high 26 points to lead Franklin & Marshall to a 62-56 victory over Haverford in Centennial Conference (CC) basketball action Saturday afternoon. The win completes the season sweep over the Fords as the Diplomats improved to 12-5, 8-2 CC while the Fords fell to 6-9, 2-8 CC. 

Haverford jumped out to an early 8-7 lead five minutes into game and outscored F&M 8-2 over a span of three minutes to go up seven, 16-9, at 12:05. The Diplomats tallied seven unanswered points and tied the game at 16 on two free throws by Cedric Moune.  

The Fords went up three on their next possession, but the Diplomats countered with a 12-1 run and took the lead for good with a Salandra layup at 2:24 to make it 28-20. Haverford netted the final four points of the half to make it 28-24 at the break.  

Salandra and Terrel Phelps both had 10 points in the opening half for F&M while Lucas Colombo scored 10 and Brett Cohen tallied six for the Fords.  

Phelps hit a triple for the first points of the second half to put F&M up seven and the Diplomats increased their lead to 11, 38-27, on a Phelps layup at 14:36. The Fords slowly chipped away and outscored F&M 20-10 over the next eight minutes to come within a point, 48-47, with 4:55 left to play.  

F&M went back up on a Matt Porter free throw and the teams traded buckets over the next two minutes before the Diplomats took a six-point lead, 57-51, with 40 seconds remaining. Haverford hit a triple on its next trip down the court before Porter hit two from the line to make it a two-possession game, 59-54, with 24 ticks left. The Fords again came within three, but Phelps hit two from the line and a Moune block seconds later helped secure the victory.  

Salandra shot 12-for-18 from the floor and picked up his fourth double-double on the year with 11 boards while also finishing with two steals and a block.  Phelps finished with 17 points and Moune had a career-high 15 rebounds and collected three blocks.  

Cohen led the way for Haverford with 17 and Lucas Colombo finished with 16.  

F&M outshot Haverford 49-47 percent and had a 36-22 edge on the boards.  

The Diplomats return to action on Tuesday when F&M travels to Gettysburg for an 8:00 p.m. game.