LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall College's Kevin Nowoswiat led all players with 17 points and the Diplomats defeated the Hamilton College Continentals 74-53 in a non-conference game at Franklin & Marshall's Mayser Center on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 30.
Season Update
- Hamilton (2-4 overall) dropped its third straight game – all on the road.
- The Diplomats (6-1), who are members of the Centennial Conference, received votes in the first D3hoops.com Top 25 poll of the regular season.
How It Happened
- Franklin & Marshall jumped out to a 10-4 lead five minutes into the first half and never trailed. A three-pointer by Dylan Cormac gave the Diplomats their first double-digit lead at 19-9 with 10:48 left.
- The Continentals clawed back to within four points twice at 19-15 and 25-21. The second time was after Sharif Nelson '26 made a layup with 4:30 remaining. Franklin & Marshall scored the last six points of the half and took a 36-25 advantage into the break.
- Hamilton didn't get closer than six points in the second half. A free throw by Nelson made it 38-32 with 16:38 to go.
- A free throw by Franklin Jones put the Diplomats up 47-37 with 10:42 left, and they led by double digits the rest of the way. An old-fashioned, three-point play by Vakaris Grauslys handed Franklin & Marshall its first lead of 20 or more at 68-47 with 4:45 remaining. Less than 30 seconds later, a layup by Logan Satlow increased the Diplomats' advantage to 23 points – their largest of the afternoon -- at 70-47.
Notes
- Nelson shot 5-of-6 from the field and finished with a career-high 13 points. He was playing for the first time since suffering an injury in the season opener on Nov. 15.
- Garret Keyhani '26, who was second among the Continentals' returning leading scorers from 2024-25, hasn't played since the first game this season.
- Matthew Rideout '27 chipped in 12 points and is 18th in the NESCAC with 12.8 per game.
- Rob Cain '28 added 11 points off the bench. He's averaging 8.8 points in five games as a reserve.
- Hamilton blocked seven shots but shot just 34.7 percent (17-49) from the field. The Continentals lead the conference with 6.17 blocks per game.
- Steve Donahue dropped in 14 points for Franklin & Marshall. Grauslys registered 12 points and a game-high five assists.
- The Diplomats had a 40-26 advantage on the glass, and scored 23 points off 12 Hamilton turnovers.
- Franklin & Marshall shot 54.2 percent (13-24) from the field in the first half and was 15-for-20 at the free-throw line in the second half.
Next Game
The Continentals host SUNY Polytechnic (3-2) for another non-conference contest on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.
