LANCASTER, Pa.- After carrying a 42-26 lead into the halftime break, the Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (6-4) fell to a second-half rally from visiting (RV) Virginia Wesleyan (9-3, 3-0 ODAC) in a 70-66 loss on Monday night.

Three Diplomats totaled double figures led by 16 points from Dylan Cormac from the bench, as he shot 6-of-11 field goals and 4-of-8 threes. Josh Parra and Kevin Nowoswiat each had ten points apiece. John Seidman led the team with four assists, while Vakaris Grauslys and Franklin Jones each generated three steals. 

F&M flew out of the gate with a 13-point run to open the game that included seven points to start the run from Nowoswiat. The Marlins struck first five minutes into the game with a layup to stop the run, although a 5-0 run from F&M moments later that included a Sebastien Charles three gave F&M 20-4 lead through the opening seven minutes. Two minutes later, Cormac and Steve Donahue converted threes on back-to-back possessions to give the hosts a game-high 20-point lead. 

Virginia Wesleyan began to cut into the lead over the three minutes, using a 10-2 run to reduce the lead to 29-18 with 6:20 left. The teams traded buckets over the next five minutes before the Diplomats wrapped up the half with seven-straight points to carry a 42-26 lead into the halftime break. The Diplomats converted all six of their threes in the first half while shooting 14-of-21 on field goals. 

The Marlins began the second half with an eight-point run that cut the lead in half at 42-32. F&M countered with five points of their own before again seeing their lead sink to single digits with a six-point run from their opponents to give F&M a 47-40 lead with 11:36 to go. The Marlins continued to narrow the advantage, getting within a point on a dunk with 7:23 remaining before tying the game at 49-49 on a free throw one possession later.

The teams traded the lead before and fourth over the next couple of minutes, with F&M finding some momentum with four-straight points to hold a 59-54 lead with 4:00 left. Another dunk from Virginia Wesleyan incited a nine-point run that gave them a 63-59 lead with 90 seconds to play. F&M got within two points on a few occasions, including a Cormac three with two seconds to go before the Marlins cemented their win with a pair of converted free throws. 

Fouls were plentiful from both teams, with F&M committing 26 personal fouls against 21 from their opponents. The Diplomats' first-half shooting form faded away in the second half as they converted just 8-of-28 field goals and 1-of-9 threes. The Marlins made use of 25 trips to the charity stripe, converting on 20 chances. 

The Diplomats play one more time this week when they host Mary Washington on Thursday, January 2, at 3:00 p.m.