LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team (10-7, 3-4 CC) earned its 10th win of the season as it defeated Ursinus (10-7, 4-3 CC), 57-49, Wednesday evening in a scrappy clash of Centennial Conference (CC) teams inside the Mayser Center. The Diplomats erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit by outscoring the Bears, 27-11, in the final frame.

F&M started fast on offense with Lizzie Neville draining a three-pointer with 3:58 remaining in the first quarter to give the hosts a 9-4 advantage. A layup from Lauren Rusas, followed by a three-pointer from Gianna Modica extended the Diplomats advantage to 10. Rusas capped the scoring stretch with a layup at the 1:20 mark to push the lead to 16-4. Ursinus made a layup and two free throws in the final minute, but a layup from Rusas gave F&M a 18-8 cushion through 10 minutes of play.

Franklin & Marshall struggled to make shots in the second quarter, shooting just 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from the field as the Bears outscored the Diplomats, 15-5, in the frame. A free throw from Fiona Reckner in the final seconds tied the game at 23-23 entering the halftime intermission.

Ursinus took a 27-23 lead to start the third quarter, but Gia Sioutis broke the scoring drought with a layup to get F&M within two at the 7:05 mark. The Bears scored on a layup of their own, but Kayla McCrea responded with a three-pointer on the other end to cut the deficit to 29-28. From that point, Ursinus began a run scoring nine-straight points to extend its lead to 38-28 in the closing minute. In the final seconds of the quarter, Neville drew a foul and knocked down two free throws to reduce the visitors' lead to 38-30 entering the fourth frame.

Ursinus held a 40-30 lead at the start of the fourth, but the Diplomats began chipping away at the deficit. Trailing 42-35 with 6:43 on the clock, Neville went 2-for-2 at the free throw line to get within five. McCrea made a layup on a fastbreak opportunity to reduce the UC lead to 42-39. After Ursinus made a layup, McCrea followed with a three-pointer to get F&M within two with 4:38 remaining in regulation. The Bears worked their lead to four, but layups from Rusas and Mackenzie Ward on back-to-back possessions tied the game at 46-46 with 3:31 to play. F&M took the lead on a free throw from Neville and didn't look back as the hosts scored seven-consecutive points to take a 53-49 lead. The Diplomats closed the contest shooting 7-for-8 at the free throw line to hold off the Bears.

Franklin & Marshall shot 32.1 percent (18-of-56) from the field and 75.0 percent (15-of-20) from the free throw line in the victory. The Diplomats also outrebounded the Bears, 43-37, in the game.

Neville led the contest with 21 points, while tallying eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal. McCrea followed with 15 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Rusas also finished with double-digit scoring figures as she notched 11 points, seven rebounds, and one steal in the win.

Franklin & Marshall now hits the road to take on Dickinson Saturday at 2:00 p.m.