LANCASTER, Pa. – Matt Porter netted a career-high 30 points to lead Franklin & Marshall to a 74-57 victory over Washington in Centennial Conference (CC) basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Mayser Center.  The Diplomats improved to 14-7, 10-4 CC while the Shoremen dropped to 5-16, 4-10 CC.

The game started out slow as both teams struggled to make a bucket. Washington had a 6-5 edge six minutes into the contest and a jumper by John Weston made it 13-12 at the halfway point. F&M netted eight straight and went up seven, 20-13, on a Devin Figueroa try at 7:07.  

Washington answered with a 7-2 run and tied the game at 22 with a little over three minutes left in the opening stanza, before Jon Salandra hit two from the line to jump start an 8-3 F&M spurt, which gave the Diplomats a 30-25 lead at break. 

F&M increased its lead to 36-26 two minutes into the second before a Washington three made it a seven-point, 40-33, game at 14:20. Lior Levy netted four straight points and Jared Wright's jumper finished off a 6-0 run and gave F&M a 46-33 advantage. 

The teams exchanged points over the next three minutes of action and Porter hit a jumper at 9:06 to make it 54-40. Washington countered with an 8-3 run to come within nine, but the Diplomats outscored the Shoremen 12-1 over the next three minutes and took a 20-point, 69-49, lead with just over three left to play. 

F&M maintained a double-digit advantage the remainder of game and lead by as many as 22 points down the stretch. 

Porter shot 14-for-21 from the floor to pace the Diplomats with his 30 points. Levy finished with a career-high 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting while Jon Salandra and Figueroa both tallied nine. Salandra added eight assists, six boards, four steals and three blocks for the Diplomats. 

John Weston led the Shoremen with 14 while Pat Morgan and Tony Hawkins both finished with nine. 

F&M outshot Washington 56-34 percent, held a 37-24 edge on the glass and converted 15 turnovers into 21 points. 

F&M returns to action on Wednesday when the Diplomats travel to Ursinus for a 6:00 p.m. contest.