WESTMINSTER, Md. - Trailing by one with 8:25 remaining, Franklin & Marshall pulled ahead and hung on for a 51-47 road victory over McDaniel in Centennial Conference (CC) action on Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats (6-8, 4-5 CC) led for the majority of the game over the Green Terror (3-10, 1-7 CC), as the lone lead changes took place in the fourth quarter.

F&M raced out to a 9-2 lead as Kenna Williams and Kennedy Wilburn combined for all nine points. A 7-0 run by McDaniel erased the early lead. A 7-2 spurt by the Diplomats gave them a 16-11 lead with 4:43 left in the second quarter, as another Williams layup put F&M back in the driver's seat entering halftime.

The Diplomats lead ballooned to ten on an 11-4 run towards the beginning of the third quarter. Four straight free throws from Natalie Kolb pushed F&M's lead to 32-22 with 2:06 remaining in the stanza.

A 14-3 stretch spanning the final quarters by McDaniel gave the hosts a 36-35 lead - its first of the game - with 8:25 left. F&M responded with a Wilburn jumper, a three-point play by Williams, and a jumper by Kolb to retake a 42-36 advantage. The Green Terror closed to three on a few occasions, but the Diplomats held on for the remaining six minutes to claim the victory.

Natalie Kolb and Kenna Williams led the Diplomats with 16 points, as Williams added 11 rebounds (seven offensive). Kennedy Wilburn also registered a double-double, pouring in 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

F&M outshot McDaniel 34.8% to 30.8% from the field, as both sides hit 16 field goals. The Diplomats edged the Green Terror in rebounds (41-36), 2nd chance points (20-12), and points in the paint (28-18).

The Diplomats return home to tangle with CC foe Johns Hopkins on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. at the Mayser Center.