WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Franklin & Marshall men's basketball was unable to overcome a sluggish start against McDaniel in a 72-63 loss on the road in Centennial Conference (CC) action on Saturday afternoon. The Green Terror (5-7, 1-6 CC) picked up their first CC win of the year against the Diplomats (5-9, 2-5 CC), using a 17-2 run in the first half to pull away for good.

The two sides exchange buckets to start, as a John Seidman jumped with 12:54 left in the first half knotted the game at 7-7. After that bucket, it was all McDaniel. A 17-2 run spanning nearly seven minutes of game time blew the game open into a 24-9 Green Terror lead with 6:20 remaining. Solomon Mathis did his best to claw F&M back into it, scoring the next six Diplomat points and 9 of their next 11. Nevertheless, McDaniel matched nearly bucket for bucket to lead by 12 at the half.

F&M cut into the lead midway through the second half, using a 10-2 run to pull within five with 9:21 left. A pair of Mathis jumpers to start the run was bookended with Riiny Giir hitting three at the foul stripe that gave the Diplomats life, down 54-49. But a 7-2 spurt by McDaniel expanded the lead back to double digits. F&M got within six after a trip to the foul line by Seidman, but the Green Terror fended off any last ditch efforts in the 72-63 final.

The Diplomats shot 39.6% from the field (19-48), but shot remarkably better in the second half (12-24). The Green Terror, however, shot 48.1% for the game, including nearly 60% in the final 20 minutes of play.

Despite the two sides being nearly even in turnovers, the Green Terror turned 15 Diplomats turnovers into 23 points, while F&M only managed seven points off of 14 McDaniel cough-ups. McDaniel also outscored F&M 27-4 in bench points.

Solomon Mathis led all scorers with 25 points on 10-17 shooting. Riiny Giir continued his solid stretch of play, hitting double-digits for the third straight game - tying his career-high with 18 points. Giir and Josh Parra paced the Diplomats with six rebounds each.

F&M has a short turnaround, facing CC rival Muhlenberg at home on Monday evening at 6:00 p.m., then hosting No. 12 Johns Hopkins on Wednesday at the Mayser Center.