NEWARK, N.J.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (2-1) outscored Pitt.-Bradford (1-1) 42-24 in the first-half of Friday's 75-62 victory to advance to Saturday's Rutgers-Newark Tournament Championship game against hosts Rutgers-Newark.

Vakaris Grauslys led the offense with 19 points, including 12 free throws, a team-high two steals, and three assists. Kevin Nowoswiat logged his first double-double of 2025-26 on 11 points and 12 rebounds plus a team-high four assists. Franklin Jones also recorded 11 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals and 1-for-1 on free throws with five rebounds. Bohdan Biekietov totaled eight rebounds. From the bench, Bryson Amos-Whitfield totaled ten points, Dylan Cormac was 3-for-3 on triples for nine points, and Carter Lawrence reached ten rebounds.

The Diplomats' offense shot 52.3% on field goals in the game, while they held the Panthers to 29.0%, including just 16.7% in the first half. The Diplomats also won the duel on the glass, outrebounding Pitt.-Bradford 56-30. F&M worked around turnover trouble, as the Panthers forced 30 turnovers with 17 steals. 

 The Panthers opened the game by converting three-of-three free throws following a shooting foul beyond the arc. The Diplomats followed this with a ten-point run over a four-minute spell that was led by a pair of layups from Steve Donahue for a 10-3 lead. The Panthers cut into the lead, putting the scoreline at 13-7 through the first ten minutes. Amos-Whitfield pushed F&M's lead to double digits for the first time with five points from back-to-back possessions to give the Diplomats an 18-7 lead. 

With the score at 18-10, F&M began a swift nine-point run in just over a minute to extend their lead to 27-10 with 7:18 remaining in the first half. The Panthers countered again with a seven-point run, including back-to-back threes, putting the lead back at ten points. Pitt.-Bradford maintained the margin, entering the final 2:30 down by 12 points. F&M soon pushed their lead over 20 points, scoring the next nine points before entering halftime with a 43-24 lead.

While the Panthers cut into the deficit at points in the second half, they got no closer than ten points with four minutes remaining, as the Diplomats maintained a double-digit lead to win the game, 75-62. Grauslys scored ten points, while Jones had eight points early in the second half, including a pair of dunks. 

F&M will face Rutgers-Newark in the tournament's championship game following their 95-74 win over Saint Elizabeth on Saturday, November 15, at 3:00 p.m.