LANCASTER, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (4-1) recovered from a slow start against Albright (1-4), winning 66-60 in Thursday evening's home opener.

Steve Donahue led the offense with 17 points, shooting 5-of-8 on field goals and 6-of-8 on free throws. Vakaris Grauslys recorded 16 points with a blocked shot, two rebounds, and two assists, while Kevin Nowoswait recorded 15 points and seven points with a blocked shot and two assists. Bryson Amos-Whitfield led the team with ten rebounds, while Bohdan Biekietov posted three steals and six rebounds. Dylan Cormac posted six points via two triples. 

Following a game-opening layup from Kevin Nowoswiat on F&M's first possession, the Diplomats were kept quiet over the next five minutes, as the Lions scored eight unanswered points for an early 8-2 lead. Both offenses struggled over the next five minutes, with the Lions maintaining a 10-6 lead midway through the half. At this point, Albright went on a seven-point run that began with a three on a fastbreak, pushing their lead to double digits at 17-6. The Diplomats began to reduce the deficit thanks to layups from Biekietov and Grauslys on two occasions to cut the deficit to 18-12. Albright followed this with a three, but Cormac countered with a three of his own one possession later, beginning a seven-point run for the Diplomats that reduced the advantage to just 21-19 with 2:30 remaining in the first half. Yet again an Albright three was countered by a Cormac three, but the Lions concluded the first 20 minutes with a dunk that gave them a 26-22 lead at the break. The Diplomats particularly struggled on threes in the first half, converting 2-of-15 (13.3%) and registering their first with four minutes remaining.

Nowoswiat began the half with a pair of free throws, while Grauslys tied things up at 26-26 with a layup one minute later. The sides traded buckets over the next possession, but the Lions again garnered a modest lead thanks to a five-point run, giving them a 33-27 advantage. They maintained this lead through a low-scoring stage of the half, although back-to-back threes from Nowoswiat and Donahue cut the deficit to just a point at 36-35 with 11 minutes remaining. 

The Lions countered F&M's attack over the next few minutes before Grauslys tied the game at 41-41. Jones would do the same one possession later, following up an Albright three with a layup and successful and-one. This began a nine-point run for the Diplomats that gave the hosts a 50-44 lead with seven minutes to play. That lead since reached nine points on a five-point run that included a three from Grauslys. Albright made a late push, closing within three points with a triple with one minute remaining, but Grauslys would convert on three-of-four free throw chances over the next two chances to give F&M a six-point lead with 26 seconds to go. Following a pair of free throws from Albright, the Lions were forced to foul, and Grauslys again sank two from the stripe to extend the lead to six points for a 66-60 final score.

The Diplomats return to the Mayser Center to host Eastern on Tuesday, November 25, at 7:00 p.m.