LANCASTER, Pa. -- Franklin & Marshall turned a nine point second half deficit with 9:39 remaining into a 71-65 victory over visiting Albright in non-conference action on Wednesday evening at the Mayser Center. The Diplomats (2-2) shot nearly 52% from the field in the second half and secured the game with 10-13 from the line, while outscoring the Lions (2-2) by nine after the break.

Albright got off to a quick start, securing a quick 7-2 lead just 2:48 into the game. F&M clawed back with a quick 11-3 spurt of their own to take a 13-10 lead, secured by a John Seidman layup with 14:32 remaining in the half. The teams see-sawed for a few minutes before the Lions went on a 7-0 spurt to extend their lead to 28-19 with 5:42 to play. That lead quickly ballooned to ten at 33-23 - Albright's largest lead of the game - with 2:06 remaining. The Diplomats answered with a 7-0 run of their own, with Solomon Mathis hitting a triple and two at the line, while Seidman added a layup to put the halftime deficit at just 33-30.

An Omar Nichols make from beyond the arc tied the game soon after the halftime whistle at 35-35 all just 47 seconds into the half. Albright clung to a slight advantage over the next seven minutes, before a 7-0 run pushed their lead back to nine with 11:05 remaining, a lead that held to nearly the nine minute mark. Justin Peirce's lone bucket of the game was a timely one, kickstarting an 8-0 that trimmed the Lions lead to one with 6:51 to play. After a timeout, the Lions had a 6-2 run over a minute to extend their lead to five - one that was short lived.

A 12-2 run punctuated by some dominant postwork by Seidman, buttery shooting from Mathis, and Mark Suchy hitting a jumper gave the Diplomats a 66-61 advantage with 1:58 to play. Mathis sealed the deal with a buzzer beating, shot clock draining jumper with 1:22 to play that sealed the comeback. F&M held tight with free throws down the stretch for the 71-65 final.

F&M shot 41.5% from the field, turning around a 33.3% mark from the first half with a gritty 51.7% effort in the second. Albright shot better than the Diplomats at 46.6%, but gave up a 12-4 edge in second chance points and a 41-30 rebounding margin that favored F&M.

Soloman Mathis led the way with 23 points and three steals, followed closely by John Seidman's 20 points, six boards, and six assists. Mark Suchy joined his teammates with a double-double, dumping in 11 points with 10 rebounds.

F&M has nearly a full week off before starting up Centennial Conference play against Ursinus on Tuesday, Nov. 23rd beginning at 7:00 pm at the Mayser Center.