Box Score

LANCASTER, Pa. – The Swarthmore College men's basketball team was dealt an 84-76 loss against #20-ranked Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Mayser Center. The Garnet slashed a 21-point deficit in the second half down to eight before time eventually ran out on an attempted rally against one of the nation's premier programs.
 
Sophomore Chris Bourne opened the scoring for Swarthmore by converting a layup on the first possession of the game, but the Diplomats responded with nine straight points and never trailed the rest of the way. After freshman Zack Yonda drove in for a layup to close the gap to just two points, a Morgan Lee dunk made it 17-9 and forced the Garnet to burn a timeout with 12:54 on the clock.
 
Jared Wright put an exclamation point on the Diplomat lead and made two free throws to give the hosts a commanding 48-30 lead at halftime. He earned a trip to the line by swiping the ball away from Matt Brennan and drawing a foul in the waning seconds.
 
Swarthmore attempted to come back by using the long ball, as senior Karl Barkley and sophomore Shane Loeffler each made 3-pointers in the early going. The 18-point halftime deficit, however, was too much to overcome. Franklin & Marshall (17-2, CC 10-2) jumped ahead by as many as 21 before eventually hanging on for the eight-point win.
 
Brandon Federici paced Franklin & Marshall with a game-high 28 points to go along with four assists and two blocks. Devin Figueroa and Cedric Moone contributed 13 points apiece, while Lee finished with eight points and five helpers.
 
Barkley and Bourne led the Garnet in the losing effort. Barkley scored 19 points, which included drilling six shots from long range, and Bourne added 20 points to go along with five rebounds. Yonda registered 12 points, five boards and three assists.
 
Swarthmore (8-11, CC 4-8), which is only two games out of a playoff spot with six contests remaining, visits Ursinus on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.