No. 11 Diplomats split season series with 67-49 win

LANCASTER, Pa. - James McNally finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, including going 8-for-8 from the free throw line, to lead No. 11 Franklin & Marshall to a 67-49 victory over McDaniel in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action on Saturday.

Marcus Dyson (Scotch Plains, N.J./Union Catholic) registered 12 points to pace the Green Terror (7-7, 3-4 CC), who fell to 1-5 in its last six games.

Geogio Milligan added 16 points for the Diplomats (12-3, 6-2 CC) while Steve Tolliver added 13 points.

After a back-and-fourth first eight minutes in which both teams led by four, including a 12-8 lead by McDaniel on a Michael Jarboe (Monrovia, Md./Urbana) 3-pointer - one of six triples from the Green Terror.

After Jarboe's trey with 13:16 on the clock, Franklin & Marshall went on an 11-2 run to take a five-point lead on two McNally free throws with 8:20 to play in the first half.

Back-to-back Dyson baskets trimmed the deficit to one but the Diplomats tallied seven of the game's next 10 points to stretch the lead to six en route to a 31-26 halftime lead.

Clinging to a 35-30 lead with 16:18 showing, Franklin & Marshall put the game away with a 20-7 run that spanned the next nearly nine minutes.

A Hayk Gyokchyan free throw swelled the lead to its largest at 58-39 with 5:50 on the clock en route to the 18-point victory.

The Green Terror returns to action at Gettysburg on Wednesday. Game time is 8 p.m.

-30-