CHESTERTOWN, Md. – The Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team (11-8, 4-5 CC) went on the road to defeat Washington College (8-10, 3-5 CC), 54-47, in Wednesday evening's Centennial Conference (CC) matchup. The Diplomats held off a late-game surge from the Shorewomen to defeat Washington College for the first time since 2023.

Tied 3-3 at the 5:25 mark of the first quarter, Kayla McCrea splashed a three-pointer to give F&M the lead. Lizzie Neville made a layup, followed by Hailey Cabanas drilling a three-pointer to cushion the Diplomats' lead at 11-3. The Shorewomen responded by scoring the final four points of the quarter to cut their deficit to 11-7 through one quarter of play.

Franklin & Marshall continued to hold onto a 16-12 advantage through the first four minutes of the second quarter. From that point, F&M began a 12-2 run that started with a three-pointer from Fiona Reckner. After a pair of free throws from Neville, Gia Sioutis knocked down a jumper to push the visitors' lead to 23-12 with 3:09 remaining in the frame. Washington College made a layup at the 2:48 mark to get within nine, but the Diplomats answered with free throws from Neville and a three-pointer from Cabanas to extend the lead to 14. The Shorewomen scored the final five points of the quarter to reduce F&M's lead to 28-19 entering the halftime break.

F&M started the second half on a 10-2 run, beginning with a three-pointer from McCrea to push the lead to 12. Sioutis chipped in a free throw, followed by a layup from the Shorewomen to bring the score to 32-21. McCrea and Ward made layups on back-to-back possession to extend the visitors' lead to 36-21. The F&M run was capped by McCrea knocking down a jumper to push the lead to 17. The Diplomats led 41-31 with under two minutes on the clock when Neville converted an and-one opportunity to give F&M a 13-point cushion. After Cleo Dallaris made a free throw, Washington College made a layup to bring the third quarter to a close with the Diplomats ahead, 45-33.

The home team began to chip away at the deficit to start the fourth quarter, narrowing the margin down to five with 7:30 remaining in regulation. Ward knocked down a three-pointer, followed by McCrea making a layup to push the lead back to 10. The Shorewomen had one final burst in the game as the hosts cut the Diplomats' lead to 50-45 with just under a minute to play. Reckner came up clutch in the final minute as she nailed a three-pointer with 22 seconds on the clock for the late-game dagger, pushing F&M ahead by eight.

The Diplomats shot 38.3 percent (18-of-47) from the field, an impressive 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from beyond the arc, and 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the free throw line in the win. F&M also outrebounded Washington College, 38-31, in the victory.

McCrea led the Diplomats with 15 points, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the field with three three-pointers in the contest. Neville tallied 13 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in the win. Ward followed with 10 points, three assists, and four steals in the game.

Franklin & Marshall returns to the Mayser Center on Saturday to host (RV) McDaniel at 1:00 p.m.