HAVERFORD, Pa. -- A pair of runs in the second half helped Franklin & Marshall pull away from Haverford 71-57 in Centennial Conference (CC) play on Saturday afternoon. A early 12-4 run in the half put the Diplomats (7-10, 4-6 CC) up by 11, then a crucial 10-2 run to put them up for good over Haverford (8-8, 4-5 CC).

F&M snagged an early five point lead on a 9-0 run, spurred by Omar Nichols hitting a jumper to knot the game at 6-6, then a three-pointer two possessions later for an 11-6 edge. The Diplomats held that advantage for the entire half, with Haverford nipping it to one on a handful of occasions late. Another Omar Nichols triple with 3:15 left, followed by a John Seidman layup with 2:25 remaining pushed F&M's lead back to three at the break.

The Diplomats expanded their lead to 44-37 on a Riiny Giir triple just a minute and a half into the final stanza. After Haverford narrowed the gap to three, F&M went on an 12-4 run to bounce back to an 11 point lead at 56-45 with 8:42 left. The run was puncutated by an and-one opportunity, as Josh Parra earned three points the hard way with the layup and freebie at the line.

The Fords stayed persistent, narrowing the F&M lead to eight with 6:23 left. F&M slammed the door shut with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes with Parra again adding two layups and Solomon Mathis hitting four-of-four at the stripe for a commanding 69-53 lead. F&M rode out the remaining time for the 71-57 final.

F&M finished with a strong shooting night, hitting 52.8% from the field (28-53), with over half its points coming in the paint (40). The Diplomats held a dominant +18 edge in rebounds (38-20), including 13 on the offensive end.

Omar Nichols led the Diplomats with 19 points, while Josh Parra finished with 18. Riiny Giir, Solomon Mathis, and John Seidman all finished with ten, as all five F&M starters ended in double figures. Parra led the way with eight rebounds, while Seidman handed out five assists.

The win was an important one for the Diplomats, as Haverford currently sits a half game ahead for the fifth and final CC playoff spot.

F&M has time to prepare for its next CC foe, traveling to Collegeville on Thursday evening to face Ursinus at 8:00 p.m.