LANCASTER, Pa. – Despite a valiant second half comeback, the Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (5-3, 2-1 CC) came up short in its efforts as it fell to Scranton (7-0, 1-0 Landmark), 67-58, in Wednesday evening's non-conference matchup at the Mayser Center.

Down 56-41 with 7:29 left in regulation, F&M began a 9-0 run that started with Josh Parra laying his shot in. Omar Nichols followed by hitting a three-pointer two possessions later to cut the deficit to 10. After John Seidman and Vakaris Grauslys each converted a layup to make the score 56-50, Scranton was forced to call a timeout with 3:31 left in the game.

The teams traded buckets as Parra made another layup, followed by a three-pointer from Jaylen Green to cut the Royals' lead to 59-55 with 1:05 left in the contest. The four-point difference was the closest the Diplomats came to tying the contest as Scranton was able to hold F&M off in the final minute.

F&M fought back from a halftime deficit of 34-18 by shooting 41 percent from the field (16-39) in the second half to get within four points of tying the game.

Parra tallied his third double-double of the season as posted a team-high 17 points and 15 rebounds in the game. Green racked up 15 points with four three-pointers while coming off the bench. John Seidman put in 13 points in the contest, shooting 60 percent (6-of-10) from the field.

Franklin & Marshall now prepares for the D3 Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. F&M faces Dubuque on Wednesday, December 28 at 11:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. PT (local)). The Diplomats then play Wisconsin-Platteville on Friday, December 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT (local)).