LANCASTER, Pa. -- Franklin & Marshall struggled to keep up with the up-tempo pace of No. 16 Swarthmore in a 100-69 loss in Centennial Conference (CC) play on Saturday afternoon at the Mayser Center. The Diplomats (8-13, 5-9 CC) struggled to contain the Garnet (17-3, 11-2 CC) offensive depth and swarming defense that scored 29 points off turnovers and 45 bench points.

The lone tie of the game came early, as Josh Parra hit a signature layup - grabbing a rebound at one end and finishing underneath at the other for a 2-2 tie. The Garnet then ripped off a 23-6 run that ultimately gave the road side a 17 point cushion that they never relinquished. Riiny Giir put an end to the initial run with three the hard way on an and-one opportunity, but Swarthmore again dumped in seven of the next nine points to stake a 19 point lead at the 7:46 mark. The Diplomats clawed back to down 15 at 40-25 on a Jake Perry layup with 2:05 remaining, but buckets on back-to-back possessions for Swarthmore ended the Diplomats hope of closing the gap before the half.

The Garnet expanded their lead to 60-33 on a 9-0 spurt in the second half, eventually hitting a 31 point margin with 11:37 left. John Seidman did his best to will the Diplomats, hitting seven of the Diplomats' next ten points and 11 of F&M's next 17, but Swarthmore matched the F&M effort every step of the way. Swarthmore eventually took a 35 point lead, its largest of the game, with 4:23 remaining, coasting to a 100-69 final.

F&M shot 39.7%, including a respectable 46.4% in the second half, but the Garnet hit over 60% of their shots in the final frame to expand their lead. The Diplomats hit 22-26 from the line, one shy of their season-high of 23 made free throws at McDaniel back on Jan. 15. F&M hit just 1-16 from beyond the arc, while Swarthmore was 8-20 to help pull away.

Swarthmore dominated with 29 points off 19 Diplomat turnovers, and poured in 45 bench points compared to F&M's 17.

F&M was led by John Seidman, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. Josh Parra finished with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Omar Nichols joined the pair in double-figures with 11.

The Diplomats continues its tough stretch of CC play this coming Tuesday, facing off against No. 19 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. beginning at 8:00 p.m.