LANCASTER, Pa. - Traveling across town to take on Lancaster Bible, the Franklin & Marshall Men's Basketball team defeated the Chargers 82-71 on Saturday afternoon. The 3-0 start to the year is the first for the Diplomats since the 2018-19 season.

In a back-and-forth start to the game, F&M and Lancaster Bible traded blows throughout the opening 10 minutes of the game, with neither side leading by more four in that span. The score also saw two lead changes and three ties, as the Chargers held a 17-15 edge at the 10-minute mark. After Josh Parra evened the score with a lay-up, the Chargers went on a 7-0 run to take a 24-17 advantage. However, the Diplomats responded with seven straight points of their own to get even with Lancaster Bible. Tied 26-26, Kevin Nowoswiat made a lay-up to give F&M its first lead since the 13-minute mark. Over the course of the final six minutes of the half, the Diplomats outscored the Chargers 12-1 to take a 36-27 lead into halftime. 

Coming out of the locker room, Lancaster Bible made back-to-back three-pointers to close the gap to five. Parra then made a layup and a free throw to put F&M up by eight, but two straight field goals by the Chargers cut the deficit to four. Immediately after, a 9-5 run for the Diplomats gave F&M its first double-digit lead of the contest. Over the next four minutes, the Diplomats outscored Lancaster Bible 13-6 to take its largest lead of the game at 17. Continuing to stay in front by double-digits for nearly the entire way, F&M comfortably closed out a 82-71 win. 

Both Vakaris Grauslys and Kevin Nowoswiat registered 18 points and shot a combined 12-of-19 from the field. Josh Parra grabbed a team-best seven rebounds while John Seidman tallied nine assists. As a team, the Diplomats dominated in the paint, outscoring the Chargers 42-26.

F&M will return to the Mayser Center on Tuesday, November 21 to open up conference play against Ursinus at 8 p.m.