LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (2-2) earned a commanding 86-60 win in Wednesday's home opener against Lancaster Bible (1-3).

Two Diplomats achieved a double-double, as Josh Parra marked three consecutive games via 15 points and 11 rebounds alongside three blocked shots. Kevin Nowoswiat shot 9-of-13 from the field, posting 21 points with ten rebounds. Franklin Jones had ten points, going 4-for-4 on free throws and 3-for-4 on field goals. Vakris Grauslyss led the team in assists (five) and steals (four). John Seidman contributed nine points, three steals, six rebounds, and three assists. Alex Berry shot 3-for-7 on field goals off the bench for six points. 

A pair of layups from Para and five points from Nowoswiat led to an 11-2 start for F&M in the opening four minutes. The Chargers took the next six points to get back within 11-8, but a three from Dylan Cormac started a 7-0 run for F&M who now led 18-8 through 7:30. A gap of around ten points stood through the middle portion of the first, with a three from Sebastian Charles pushing the lead to a first-half high of 16 points with 5:30 remaining in regulation. The Chargers finished the second half strongly, outscoring F&M 10-3 for a 38-27 scoreline through the opening 20 minutes.

Following a Seidman free throw and Lancaster Bible three in the first 90 seconds, the Diplomats pulled away with a ten-point run that was highlighted by Seidman forcing a turnover with a steal and Grauslys feeding Jones for an alley-oop dunk on the break. A Lancaster Bible jump shot broke the run, but the Diplomats promptly fired off eight-straight points to lead 60-32. The run was cemented with another dunk from F&M, as Josh Parra on the baseline played directly over a heavy press off the inbound, firing the ball to an open Berry who dunked the ball uncontested. The lead went to a game-high 63-33 with 10:45 remaining, with Lancaster Bible closing the gap to 67-49 over the next three minutes but getting no closer. 

Both teams ran into foul trouble, with the Chargers outpacing the Diplomats 23-21. The high intensity and heavy pressing in the game caused a flurry of turnovers, with 35 closely split between the teams. 18 points for F&M came off Chargers turnovers.

The Diplomats next play on Friday, November 22, at 7:00 p.m., as F&M travel to Albright (2-2).