ASTON, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball (7-4) team built out a double-digit lead by halftime and continued to maintain the pace in an 84-68 win over Neumann (6-3) on Tuesday night.

Kevin Nowoswiat recorded his third double-double of the season on 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, shooting 7-of-9 free throws and 7-of-13 field goals. Dylan Cormac leveled his career-high for points, totaling 17 points and going 5-of-11 on three-pointers. Franklin Jones led the team with four steals and contributed eight points. Vakaris Grauslys led the team with five assists and nine points.

F&M scored the first eight points of the game via threes from Nowoswiat and John Seidman and a Jones jumper, and they held the lead across the 40 minutes. Neumann scored five of the next seven points, but four points from Grauslys soon brought the Diplomats' lead to 14-7 through five minutes. The teams traded buckets over the next few minutes with F&M earning their first double-digit lead of the half on a Cormac three at 29-19 with 8:19 left. The Knights went on a 6-0 run over the next 90 seconds. After trading buckets, F&M again pushed to a double-figure lead on an 11-point run for a halftime score of 42-27. Neumann scored three points on free throws to bring the scoreline to 42-30 at the break. 

Neumann closed the gap with a three and free throw to get back within eight points to start the second half, although F&M swiftly countered with a Nowoswiat three and a free throw from Jones to lead 46-34 through three minutes. The lead fluctuated between eight and 12 points over the next three minutes before a pair of Cormac threes gave F&M a 58-44 lead. A three from him a few minutes later gave F&M their first 20-point lead of the contest with 9:30 remaining. The teams traded buckets over the next seven minutes with F&M pushing to a game-high 22-point lead with 2:25 left on a Carter Lawrence bucket before the hosts closed the game on a 6-0 run.

F&M drew a 42-32 advantage on rebounds, while the bench chipped in 35 points on the day. The Diplomats shot 44.1% on field goals and 38.7% on three-pointers. 

The Diplomats take a mid-season pause over the next three weeks. They'll return with a three-game non-conference slate before beginning Centennial Conference action. Their first game upon returning sees them host Virginia Wesleyan on Monday, December 30, at 3:00 p.m.