CARLISLE, Pa. – A first half deficit proved too much for the Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team to overcome on Tuesday evening as the Diplomats (3-4, 1-2 CC) fell to Dickinson (3-2, 2-1 CC) by a 53-37 final. The Diplomats had the game down to single digits with a strong third quarter, but came no closer during the battle inside the Kline Center.

Kenna Williams led the Diplomats with 13 points, while Kennedy Wilburn added eight more. Williams, Wilburn, and Jaclyn Feit each pulled down seven boards to pace F&M on the glass. The Red Devils put two players in double figures and had five with at least seven points during their balanced offensive output.

The Diplomats were holding the lead for much of the opening quarter, but scored just two points from the field during the final four minutes of that period. F&M was unable to break out of its cold shooting spurt as Dickinson outscored the Diplomats 18-6 during the second quarter to take a 34-16 lead into the locker room.

Franklin & Marshall made some key adjustments in the locker room at the half and turned the tables on the Red Devils during the third quarter, holding the hosts to just a pair of field goals. Williams and Wilburn got the offense jump started in the second half as they combined for the first eight F&M points out of the locker room before Maia Lockhart scored on back-to-back possessions to make the score 38-28 with 3:15 to play in the third. A pair of free throws from Natalie Kolb on the ensuing possession trimmed the deficit to eight, but unfortunately that was all the closer F&M would come on the evening.

Behind a number of strong rebounding performances, F&M had a 43-38 adavantage on the boards. That total included 19 offensive rebounds which led to the Diplomats holding an 18-10 advantage in second chance points. Neverthless, Dickinson overcome that with advantage in both points off of turnovers and points in the paint.

Women's basketball will continue its busy stretch to wrap up the semester as the Diplomats travel to Bryn Mawr this Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip with the Owls. That will be the final road trip of the fall semester before the team hosts Haverford on Saturday during its final contest of the 2021 calendar year.