WESTMINSTER, Md. – Four Franklin & Marshall players scored double-digit points on Saturday afternoon as the Diplomats held off McDaniel for a 61-57 win in Centennial Conference women's basketball. F&M improved to 3-5, 3-3 CC, while the Green Terror fell to 3-6, 2-3. 

A strong first half saw the Diplomats take a 28-25 lead into halftime, but McDaniel began to turn the tide early in the third, tying the game at 35-35 with 5:05 left in the period. However, the hosts never took the lead as four points from Sarah Pisani fueled an 8-2 F&M run to close the third.

That momentum continued into the fourth, with Haley Pilone and Ashlyn Petersen connecting on back-to-back threes in the first minute to give the Diplomats a 51-39 edge. A 6-0 run from the Green Terror cut the lead to six, but a turnaround jumper from Kristin Hamill stopped the run at 6:18. Four free throws from McDaniel cut the deficit to four at 53-49, but two strong moves to the basket from Sarah Haddon returned the lead to 57-49 with 3:05 remaining.

The Green Terror twice cut the lead to two in the final minute, but Pilone and Petersen both knocked down a clutch pair of free throws to deliver the win for F&M.

The final score was indicative of a game that F&M controlled nearly from the start after the first three points went to McDaniel. A jump shot from Erica Brown with 6:15 left in the first gave the Diplomats a 6-5 edge, and the Green Terror never regained the lead as an 8-0 F&M run helped the visitors to an 18-10 advantage after one.

A resurgent McDaniel cut into the lead in the second, but a steady offensive effort allowed the Diplomats to keep the Green Terror out of touching distance.

Petersen finished with a team-high 15 points on 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Pilone added 12 for the Diplomats, while Brown and Hamill tallied 10 each. Hamill and Haddon (eight points) tied for a game-high seven rebounds each.

F&M outshot the Green Terror 48.0 percent (24-50) to 30.5 percent (18-59). That advantage extended beyond the arc, where the Diplomats shot 6-of-16 compared to 2-of-10 from McDaniel.

F&M is now off until Dec. 30, when the Diplomats host NYU in non-conference action at 2:30 p.m.