LANCASTER, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (5-1) earned a fifth-straight victory with Tuesday's 85-73 win over Eastern (2-5).

Two Diplomats eclipsed 20 points, led by Kevin Nowoswiat's 25 points plus seven rebounds, four assists, and a team-high three steals. Vakaris Grauslys recorded 20 points, shooting 3-of-6 on threes and 7-of-8 on free throws, with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Steve Donahue marked three-straight games with double-figure points, totaling 13. Bryson Amos-Whitfield had ten points, eight rebounds, two steals, and three assists from the bench. 

Back-to-back Nowoswiat layups gave F&M a 6-2 lead through the first 2:40, although the Eagles drew level over their next two possessions on a dunk and a fastbreak layup. F&M responded promptly, scoring seven unanswered points over the next three minutes for a 13-6 advantage. Eastern closed the gap with a five-point run, setting up a short phase of trading points. With F&M's lead at 18-13, the Eagles began a nine-point rally over a two-minute span, claiming their biggest lead of the night at 22-18 with 8:47 remaining. The Diplomats reduced the deficit with a Grauslys three, and the sides traded points over the next few minutes. Behind 25-23, the Diplomats earned the lead back with a seven-point run that featured triples from Amos-Whitfield and Grauslys. The Diplomats pushed their lead further on back-to-back dunks from Franklin Jones and Amos-Whitfield to lead 35-27 with three minutes remaining. F&M eventually took a 42-33 lead into the intermission. The Diplomats offense shot 63.0% on field goals and 45.5% on threes in the first half. 

The sides sparred to begin the second half, as F&M maintained a lead near ten points five minutes into the period. Eastern applied pressure at this point with six points over two possessions to cut the lead to 49-45. While a Bohdan Biekietov paused the run, the Eagles followed with six unanswered points, tying the game at 51-apiece on a dunk initiated from blocking a Diplomats triple attempt. F&M regained momentum with a Dylan Cormac three, while back-to-back Nowoswiat layups would push their lead back to five. The Diplomats maintained a modest lead over the next phase of the game, as Eastern stayed within five points with 5:02 remaining. The Diplomats executed in the next two minutes, scoring seven of eight points for a lead of 76-65 with three minutes remaining. Eastern could get no closer than eight in the remaining time.  

While both offenses posted similar numbers, the Diplomats were clinical in the rebound battle, outpacing Eastern 41-25. 

The Diplomats return to the Mayser Center to host Hamilton on Sunday, November 30, at 2:00 p.m.