LANCASTER, Pa. The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team nearly doubled its shooting percentage in the second half and outscored Haverford 40-31 over the final 20 minutes to turn in a five-point halftime deficit into a 63-59 Centennial Conference victory. The defense was key throughout the contest as F&M held the Fords to 8-of-25 from beyond the mark and held the visitors to just nine trips to the free throw line.

It was a tight competition throughout the majority of the contest as evidenced by 10 lead changes to go along with seven ties throughout regulation. F&M's largest lead of the night was just six points in the waning seconds of the second half. Their biggest run, an 8-0 advantage, turned a three-point deficit into a five-point advantage early in the second half. That spurt allowed F&M to hold the lead for the majority of the second half. While keeping Haverford off the line, F&M made 25 trips to the free throw line and converted 16 of those chances.

The first half saw a back-and-forth affair. A trey from Julien Thomas tied the game at 13-all just past the midway point of the second half. Nevertheless, the Fords bounced back with an 8-0 scoring of their own to hold their largest lead of the afternoon. Highlighted by John Seidman's six points during the final stretch of the half, the Diplomats narrowed the gap slightly to 28-23 at the halft.

Coming out of the locker rooms, a quick Justin Peirce three-pointer and Josh Parra layup tied the game at 28. The rest of the second half saw the score change hands eight times while being tied on three other occasions. The final go-ahead bucket came on another three-pointer from Peirce with 6:28 left as F&M reclaimed a 48-47 advantage. Solomon Mathis played a major role in maintaining the lead for F&M down the stretch as the senior connected on 12 of the Diplomats' final 15 points to secure the 63-59 win.

In addition to suppressing the shooting totals from Haverford, the Diplomats' defense also showed a supreme advantage, causing 18 turnovers which led to a 10-2 advantage in points off of those chances. Pearce led the way with three steals on the afternoon.

A trio of Diplomats finished in double figures as Solomon Mathis led the team with 16 points. Omar Nichols added 13 to the winning effort while John Seidman posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

F&M wraps up its fall semester schedule with a trip to Scranton this coming Wednesday at 7 p.m. After that contest, the Diplomats will break for finals before returning home just before the 2022 calendar year to host the Sponaugle New Year's Tournament on December 29 and 30.