LANCASTER, Pa.- Following a tightly contested first half, the Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (4-2) pushed out to a double-digit lead early in the second half over Goucher (1-5, 0-2 Landmark), eventually winning 76-57 on Tuesday night. 

Kevin Nowoswiat was one of four players to achieve a double-digit point total, posting 20 points on 8-of-13 field goals and 3-of-4 threes. Josh Parra (13 points, 5-of-11 field goals), Vakaris Grauslys (11 points, three three-pointers), and Steve Donahue (11 points, three three-pointers) also achieved double-digits. Grauslys led the team with five steals, while John Seidman had a team-best five assists. Will Moreau shot a pair of three's in his four minutes of service in the second half.

Four points from Parra and a three from Grauslys put the Diplomats ahead 7-2 through the first five minutes. A 6-0 run for Goucher over the next four minutes gave them an 8-7 lead in a low-scoring start to the contest. A Nowoswiat three a possession later put F&M ahead 10-8 for a moment, as a 10-2 run put them in control 18-12. A layup from Nowoswiat and Donahue three closed the gap to two points with six minutes left, although Goucher pushed back out to an eight-point lead over the next two minutes. A Donahue three began a 10-4 run for F&M over the final 3:46, capped by a Nowoswiat layup with 0:55 to go to give F&M a 31-30 halftime lead.

The teams traded buckets to open the second half, but F&M soon pulled away via a 13-2 run highlighted by a pair of Nowoswiat threes to lead 49-34 with 12:20 to play. A later 9-0 run with four points from Parra, a three from Dylan Cormac, and a layup from Grauslys gave the Diplomats a game-high 23-point lead of 63-40 with seven minutes remaining. The margin got no closer than 16 the rest of the way.

F&M forced 21 turnovers, including 14 steals, from the Gophers to total 19 points from turnovers. The Diplomats conceded just 11 turnovers themselves.

F&M were an efficient 40.6% on three-pointers.

The Diplomats travel to Newport News for the Christopher Newport Tournament this weekend. They'll open against (RV) Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Saturday and will face either (No. 5) Christopher Newport or Transylvania on Sunday pending Saturday's results.