LANCASTER, Pa.- After Tuesday's 80-59 win over fifth-seeded Swarthmore in the Centennial Conference Tournament First round, the fourth-seeded (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (22-4, 10-3 Centennial Conference) now travels to first-seeded Gettysburg (16-9, 11-2) for a semifinal matchup on Friday, February 26, at 6:00 p.m.

Ticket Information

The Centennial Conference has announced that Hudl will serve as the ticket provider for CC championship events. Centennial fans will be able to find all scheduled postseason events on the Centennial ticketing homepage and quickly purchase tickets to receive via email. Fans will then use their smartphone to gain access at championship events through a simple and secure ticket validation process.  

Below are the ticket prices for each round of the postseason:
Adults - $10
Students (Age 6 through High School) - $5
Senior Citizens - $5
College Students, Faculty & Staff of Centennial Schools - FREE
Children 5 and Under – FREE

Tickets for Friday's game can be purchased HERE.

The Field

FIRST ROUND: Tuesday, Feb. 24 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#3 Ursinus def. #6 McDaniel, 81-62
#4 Franklin & Marshall def. #5 Swarthmore, 80-59

SEMIFINALS: Friday, Feb. 27 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#3 Ursinus @ #2 Johns Hopkins, 6:00 p.m. 
#4 Franklin & Marshall @ #1 Gettysburg, 6:00 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, March 1 | at highest remaining seed 
Semifinals winners, time TBA

Last Time Out

After a contested first-half against visiting Swarthmore, a 23-3 run early on in the second half guided the Diplomats to a 80-59 win over the Garnet to advance into the Centennial Conference Tournament Semifinal for the third-consecutive season. Vakaris Grauslys totaled 24 points, including six three-pointers, with seven rebounds. Kevin Nowoswiat followed with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double with three steals, while Steve Donahue recorded eight points, a team-high four steals, and five rebounds. Franklin Jones had nine rebounds and six points. The Diplomats shot 50.0% (11-of-22) on threes, 49.1% (27-of-55) on field goals, and 75.0% (15-of-20) on free throws while outrebounding their opponents, 47-28. 

Entering Friday Night

The Diplomats enter Friday evening following a 22-4, 10-3 Centennial Conference campaign to date. The team went on a 12-game winning streak from November 11th through January 10th, tying for the 13th-best winning streak in program history. It's tied for the longest winning streak under head coach Nick Nichay, leveling the late-season winning streak in 2024-25 that propelled the F&M to a Centennial Conference Championship and into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18. The Diplomats have been perfect at home this season, remaining undefeated through 13 contests at the Mayser Center. F&M will look to end an 0-6 run in away Centennial Conference Tournament games when they face Gettysburg.
 
The team ranks among the best defensive sides across Division III, maintaining DIII's fourth-best scoring defense (60.4), sixth-best three-point field goal defense (27.7%), 15th-best field goal defense (38.9), 16th-best winning percentage (84.6%) and 37th-highest scoring margin (11.0).

In his seventh season in charge of the Diplomats, Nick Nichay seeks his second Centennial Conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance following the success of a season ago. He has led the F&M coaching staff to back-to-back Centennial Conference Coaching Staff of the Year Awards in the past two seasons and enters Friday evening with a 96-61, 56-42 Centennial Conference record as head coach. 

Players to Watch

Senior guard Kevin Nowoswiat has again been key to F&M's success in the 2025-26 success. The 2025 NABC All-America First Team player is one of five Centennial Conference players to rank inside the top ten in both points per game (16.7, fourth) and rebounds per game (7.3, third), while he is also third in field goal percentage (49.7%) and sixth in free throw percentage (73.9%). He's recorded ten-plus points in 22-of-26 games this season, including eight games with 20-plus points and six double-doubles. He has earned the Centennial Conference Player of the Week award three times this season. 

Senior guard Vakaris Grauslys has also maintained his consistent presence across the court this season. Among Centennial Conference players, the two-time All-Centennial Conference Second Team player ranks second in assists per game (3.5), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), fourth in free-throw percentage (75.5%), eighth in points per game (13.3), ninth in three-point field goals per game (1.4), and ninth in steals per game (1.5). Grauslys had totaled ten-plus points in 22 games, 12 games with four-plus assists, and 12 games with multiple steals.

Sophomore guard Steve Donahue has established himself into the F&M starting lineup in 2025-26. He is currently averaging the 13th-most points per game (12.3) among Centennial Conference players, and has totaled 19 games with ten-plus points.  He's the team's most-efficient shooter beyond the arc, converting on 37.9% of his triples.  

After an injury-shortened sophomore campaign, junior forward Franklin Jones has been a key component of F&M's defensive record. Among Centennial Conference players, he is eighth in steals per game (1.6) and 11th in blocked shots per game (0.8) with five multi-block games and 12 multi-steal games. 

Scouting the Bullets

Gettysburg (16-9, 11-2 Centennial Conference) secured the tournament's top seed on the second-to-last regular season date with a 64-53 win over McDaniel. They are seeking the program's fourth Centennial Conference title and first since 2009.

Gettysburg's scoring defense (63.8) is second in the conference only to F&M, and they are 14th nationally. They also maintain the conference's fourth-best scoring margin (4.5). Gettysburg also rank second in blocked shots per game (4.16, 41st nationally), second in opponent three-point field goal percentage (28.6%, 19th nationally), third in rebounding margin (6.8, 39th nationally), fourth in field goal percentage (44.1%), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (32.2%).

Ray Zamloot is averaging a team-best 12.4 points per game, ranking 12th in the Centennial Conference, while he leads the conference in triples per game (2.3). Aidan Mess is sixth in rebounds per game (6.8) and has the conference's third-best free throw percentage (80.8%), and is leading the conference in blocked shots per game (1.7). Caleb Gillus is providing the fifth-most assists per game among Centennial players (3.1) and is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3).  

Following the departure of B.J. Dunne, head coach Matt Hunter has maintained the Bullets' recent success in his first season in charge, securing a fifth-straight appearance in the Centennial Conference Tournament. Hunter arrived in Gettysburg following a 13-year stint at nearby York. While leading the Spartans, he recorded a 170-48 record with three conference championships, four NCAA Tournament second-round appearances, and four seasons with at least 20 victories. 

Series History vs. Gettysburg

Friday's showdown will be the 239th time Franklin & Marshall has faced Gettysburg dating back to 1903, marking the most-played matchup among Centennial Conference sides. The Bullets hold a 123-114 advantage in the series. Gettysburg is 6-4 in the last ten games, although the Diplomats have claimed four of the last six contests. 

The sides split the 2025-26 regular season series, with each side claiming a home win. The most recent game came less than a week ago when F&M handed Gettysburg their heaviest loss of the season on Senior Day, 76-58. Nowoswiat led F&M with a season-best 29 points. The Bullets handed the Diplomats the first of three in-conference losses when they hosted in Gettysburg in January. Nowoswiat led F&M with 23 points in the 72-58 defeat, while Kosta Radulovic had 17 points and seven rebounds from the bench for Gettysburg.

F&M is 4-3 in the Centennial Conference Tournament against the Bullets including two wins in the semifinal round in Lancaster (2004, 2016). The most recent playoff game between the sides came in 2023's 71-51 first-round loss at Gettysburg. 

Court Club Donors

Thank you to our fantastic supporters who have already joined the Court Club for the 2025-26 season. Contact head coach Nick Nichay on how you can join the court club today.

Al Ingraham '72, Catherine Jasons '76, John Fischer '77, Mike Dee '85, Mark Maggioncalda '82, Carol & Mike Krzyzewski, Stephanie Lavenberg, Stephen & Melinda Frasher, Helen & Francois Moreau, Charles Meehan '69, Reeve Askew '66, Scott Cosby, Ty Savastio '12, Shannon & Deborah Donovan, Jeffrey & Sheri Brownstein, Richard Ryan '73, Michael & Ann Nowoswiat, Eric & Lynn Tuori, Brian Lewis '82, Michael '00 & Elizabeth Ritacco '02, Hunter Eggers '17, Terry Scott '87, Lester & Tara Satlow, Gillian Pearis, Stephen & Logan Donahue, Angela Slater, John Boyer '77, Rod & Lisa Lawrence, Colin & Carolina Cormac, Seth & Julie Berry, Samuel & Ellen Jannetta