LANCASTER, Pa. - In a game that came down to the final possession, the Franklin & Marshall Men's Basketball team defeated Dickinson 52-51 to advance to Centennial Conference Semi-Finals. This is now the first semi-finals appearance for the Diplomats since 2018, which was also the last time they clinched an NCAA Tournament berth. 

With F&M shooting 1-of-6 from the floor to start the game, the Red Devils went ahead 11-4 after just over five minutes of play in the first half. Though the Diplomats recovered with a pair of layups on back-to-back possessions, they then saw a scoring drought that spanned three minutes in which Dickinson extended its advantage to 10, leading 18-8 with less than 11 minutes remaining until halftime.

Responding strongly, F&M strung a 7-0 run together and did not allow the Red Devils to score for over three minutes. After David Petrusev snapped the drought with a layup for Dickinson, the Diplomats continued their run with another 14 unanswered points to take a 29-20 lead. Moments later, the Red Devils knocked down two straight three-pointers to get to within three before F&M ended the half with a pair of baskets, including a buzzer-beating layup by Vakaris Grauslys. 

Inside of the first 10 minutes of the second frame, the two teams combined to shoot 6-of-26, as the Diplomats held a 38-36 edge. Nate Ogbu then tied the game for the first time since the score was 0-0, but was followed by seven consecutive F&M points which gave the Diplomats a 45-38 advantage. Continuing to stay in striking distance, however, Dickinson made it a one-point game just after the six-minute mark, and then evened the score again before the four-minute mark. 

Down 50-49 three possessions later, Isaiah Edmond made a layup to give the Red Devils their first lead in over 24 minutes of play. On the other end, though, Josh Parra hit a layup of his own, which proved to be the game-winning bucket. On the final possession of the game, Skyler Venezia's attempt from beyond the arc drew iron and left no time on the clock, as the Diplomats survived for a one-point win. 

Leading the team in both scoring and rebound, Parra tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds, good for his sixth double-double of the season. Fouling Dickinson 10 times all game, the Diplomats allowed a season-low five free throws. 

F&M will now face Johns Hopkins on the road on Friday, February 23 at 6 p.m. with a spot in the conference championship game on the line.