LANCASTER, Pa.- The (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (14-2, 3-1 Centennial Conference) outscored Haverford (6-10, 0-4 Centennial Conference) 18-4 in the final five minutes, erasing a six-point deficit in Wednesday's 69-59 away victory.

Kevin Nowoswiat returned to double-figures for scoring with 19 points plus six rebounds. Steve Donahue followed with 16 points including three triples plus a team-high three steals. Vakaris Grauslys reached 11 points with four rebounds and two steals, while Franklin Jones had eight points, and two blocked shots. Bryson Amos-Whitfield led bench points with eight plus a team-high seven rebounds.

The teams traded buckets through the first three minutes before F&M scored back-to-back layups for an early 8-4 lead. The Fords swung momentum back their way by scoring two threes on their next two possessions, claiming the lead at 10-9. The sides traded points up to a 13-13 tie with 12 minutes left in the first half. Haverford broke the tie with a triple followed by consecutive threes from Donahue that put F&M ahead once again at 19-16. 

The Fords scored five of the next seven points to earn the lead back once again for a 22-21 advantage. F&M scored back-to-back layups followed by four-straight points from Haverford who again led by a point. Another Donahue three with 90 seconds left marked the last scoring play for the Diplomats in the first half, as the hosts closed out the half on a 5-0 run that gave them a 31-28 lead at halftime. Neither side led by more than three points in the first half. 

F&M erased their small halftime deficit with a 7-2 run through the first two minutes to gain a 35-33 lead. Over the next eight minutes, the teams would continue to trade buckets up to a narrow 44-43 lead for the Diplomats with ten minutes left to play. At this point, the Fords scored five-straight points for the largest lead of the half up to that point at 48-44. 

F&M got back within one point with six minutes to go, but a swift 7-2 run from the Fords gave them a 57-51 lead entering the final 4:30. The Diplomats corrected this deficit, scoring ten points over the next two minutes for a 61-57 lead. Haverford was able to stop the run, keeping F&M's lead at four points entering the last minute of play. 

After a Haverford timeout, Nowoswiat drew a foul and converted a pair of free throws, while Jones' uncontested dunk moments later put F&M fully in control by eight points with 40 seconds remaining. F&M eventually won 69-59 on a game-closing 18-4 run in the last five minutes. The F&M offense shot an efficient 60.0% (12-of-20) following a 40.0% (12-of-30) first half. Haverford was kept to 34.4% (11-of-32) in the second half. 

In a competitive matchup, the sides totaled 17 lead changes and with eight tied scorelines. F&M narrowly won the battle off the glass, 36-35, and had one less turnover than the Fords, with 11 against 12. 

The Diplomats travel to Dickinson to face the Red Devils on Saturday, January 24, at 4:00 p.m.