LANCASTER, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (21-7, 11-2 Centennial) saw its 2024-25 campaign come to a close Friday night's 84-50 opening-round loss to (RV) Catholic (23-5, 16-2 Landmark).

Vakaris Grauslys became the 39th Diplomat, and the third this season, to reach 1,000 points. He reached the mark with his sixth point of the game, a converted free throw in the first half. He totaled ten points on the night.

Josh Parra led the offense with an 18-point contest, shooting 7-of-10 (70.0%) on field goals. Kevin Nowoswiat posted 11 points, while Sebastien Charles had a team-best five rebounds.

The Diplomats were outclassed in rebounding, as Catholic totaled 42 rebounds against 17 from F&M, and the Cardinals denied any offensive rebounds for the Diplomats.

The game was back-and-forth in the early stages, as a Josh Parra layup to open scoring kicked off a sequence of the lead being changed on nine consecutive scores, with F&M leading 11-10 through six minutes. This was the last time the Diplomats maintained control, as Catholic went on a 13-1 run over the next five minutes, holding a double-digit lead of 23-12. A Parra layup and three from Charles and the fast break reduced the deficit to six, but the Cardinals swiftly broke free with three consecutive threes in a 90-second spell, leading 32-17 with six minutes left. The teams traded points to halftime, with Catholic leading 46-29 at the break. The Cardinals were efficient in shooting, going 19-of-30 (63.3%) on field goals and 6-of-7 (85.7%) on threes. 

Catholic began the half with a 10-2 run, and they soon reached a 30-point advantage at 64-34 with 11:19 left. Their biggest advantage of the game came at 80-42 with four minutes to go before the final scoreline of 84-50. The Cardinals continued to shoot consistently (53.8%) while bringing the Diplomats' offense to a grinding half. F&M was 8-of-28 (28.5%) on field goals and 1-of-12 (8.3%) on threes.

The defeat brings a 12-game winning streak dating back to January 22 to an end. This is tied for the 14th-longest winning streak in program history. 

Franklin & Marshall ends 2024-25 with a 21-7, 11-2 Centennial Conference record, earning the program's ninth Centennial Conference Championship and the program's 26th trip to the NCAA Tournament. It's the team's first conference title since the 2015-16, and the first under head coach Nick Nichay, while the team entered the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18.