LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (9-4, 1-0), led by 27 points from Kevin Nowoswiat, controlled the pace for much of their Centennial Conference opener victory over McDaniel (10-3, 0-1 CC) by a score of 71-49 on Saturday afternoon. 

Nowoswiat shot 12-of-19 on field goals with nine rebounds and a team-high five assists to complement his 27 points. It's the sixth-time this season he's recorded 20-plus points. Vakaris Grauslys totaled 12 points, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, with a team-high four steals.Sam Davison chipped in eight points from the bench, going 3-of-3 on field goals and 2-of-2 on threes. John Seidman was also perfect when shooting, collecting nine points via two threes, one field goal, and one free throw. 

Josh Parra opened scoring on the first possession of the game with a layup, and another from him off a Franklin Jones steal a minute later put F&M ahead 4-1. A three from the Green Terror leveled the score at four each. McDaniel's layup two minutes later was countered by a Grauslys three to put F&M up 7-6. McDaniel retook the lead on a jumper 90 seconds later, and this was the last time they would hold the lead in the contest. A Seidman layup plus an and-one on the next possesion began an 8-0 run for F&M to give the hosts a 15-8 advantage with 11:02 on the clock. McDaniel responded with a 5-0 run over their next two possessions, and they kept the margin close over the next few minutes. They got within one point at 21-20 with 6:16 to go, but F&M fired off nine unanswered points, including seven from Nowoswiat, over the next two minutes. F&M eventually led 35-25 at the halftime break. 

The Diplomats carried their momentum into the start of the second half with an 8-0 run over the opening six minutes to lead 43-25. The lead hovered around this margin for much of the second half, while a 9-2 run later on gave F&M a game-high lead of 25 at 64-39. The game eventually ended at 71-49. 

F&M shot 52.0% on field goals, 42.9% on threes, and 90.0% on free throws, while F&M won the battle on the glass 32-23. They also limited their turnovers to nine, which is equal to the fewest in a single game this season. 

The Diplomats continue Centennial Conference competition on Wednesday, January 15, at 7:00 p.m. when they host (RV) Gettysburg.