LANCASTER, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (12-2, 1-1 Centennial Conference) saw their 12-game winning streak come to a close in a 72-58 loss to Gettysburg (6-8, 1-1 Centennial Conference) on Wednesday evening.

The 12-game winning streak was tied for the 13th-best winning streak in program history, leveling the late-season winning streak a season ago that propelled the Diplomats to a Centennial Conference Championship and into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18. 

Kevin Nowoswiat led the offense with 23 points, shooting 44.4% (4-of-9) on triples and 8-of-18 (44.4%) from the field. Vakaris Grauslys had seven points plus two steals and two assists. Bryson Amos-Whitfield led the Diplomats with seven rebounds from the bench. Carter Lawrence had five points and six rebounds from the bench. 

Both offenses were contained in a competitive but low-scoring first half, as the Bullets led just 20-19 at the halftime intermission. Each team shot below 35% on field goals, under 20% on threes, and lower than 50% on free throws. F&M earned an early 4-0 lead through the opening two minutes, while the Bullets followed this with a steady 9-2 run, giving them an early 9-7 lead through a low-scoring opening 12 minutes. A shot beyond the arc from Grauslys tied the game at nine apiece, but the Bullets reclaimed the advantage with a pair of free throws. Nowoswiat sank one of two free throws, putting the scoreline at 11-10 across the opening nine minutes. 

Neither team would convert a shot over the next five minutes, as Franklin Jones finally stopped the drought with a free throw to tie the contest at 11-11. The Bullets scored the next five points, and they held a 20-15 lead entering the last two minutes of the half. A jumper from Nowoswiat and a layup from Steve Donahue got F&M back within a point at 20-19 entering the halftime break. 

The Bullets opened the second half on a 6-2 run through the first 2:30. Lawrence stalled the run with a layup before Gettysburg scored five more points, giving them a 31-23 lead with 14:43 to play. The sides would trade buckets over the next few minutes, as F&M remained behind eight points at 40-32. The Bullets lead soon expanded to 14, as they tallied seven of the next eight points for a 47-33 lead entering the final ten minutes. While the Diplomats closed the deficit to 50-40 with eight minutes to go, they were unable to get any closer, as the Bullets maintained their advantage to the end of the contest. Both offenses improved in the second half, as Gettysburg shot 50.0% (15-of-30) and F&M was 40.7% (11-of-27) on field goals. Gettysburg were efficient in winning rebounds, outrebounding the Diplomats 24-14 in the second half and 42-28 across the game. 

The Diplomats will look to return to the win column when they host (RV) Johns Hopkins on Saturday, January 17, at 3:00 p.m.