LANCASTER, Pa. – The Swarthmore College men's basketball team had its season come to an end with an 80-59 loss at Franklin and Marshall College in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament on Tuesday night. The Garnet finish the year with a 13-13 record.
 
Swarthmore was the fifth seed while the Diplomats are seeded fourth. The teams were even through 16 minutes of play before F&M used a 7-0 run to help take a 35-28 lead into halftime. The Garnet were within five (38-33) early in the second but the Diplomats pulled away with a massive 33-8 surge and cruised the rest of the way.
 
Devin Burger and Eddie Paquette tallied 14 and 11 points respectively in their final game in a Swarthmore uniform. Burger grabbed seven rebounds and added three assists while Paquette corralled five boards. Paquette concludes his career ranked 16^th on the Garnet's all-time scoring list with 1,163 points. He also ranks in the program's top-10 for assists (228) and steals (116).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Swarthmore held an early 6-3 lead when F&M went in front with an 11-3 run. A three-pointer at the 6:59 mark gave the host a 24-17 advantage. The Garnet rallied for seven unanswered with buckets by Paquette and Burger followed by a triple from fellow senior Cal Hanson, bringing the score level at 24 with 4:39 to go. With the score 26-26, the Diplomats scored seven straight to go ahead 33-26 with 2:40 left. F&M remained in control by seven (35-28) at the break.
 
- Swarthmore netted five of the first eight points of the second half to cut the deficit to five (38-33) with 17:52 on the clock. However, the Diplomats then dominated play, scoring 11 consecutive points to spark a 33-8 run that decided the game. F&M shot 11-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the line during the stretch. The Garnet went cold at the other end, making just two of their 20 attempts. The Diplomats were ahead 71-41 with 4:51 remaining when all was said and done.
 
GARNET LEADERS
Points: Burger 14, Paquette 11
Rebounds: Burger 7
Assists: Burger 3
Steals: Paquette, Jonathan Stump 2
Blocks: Caleb Aurelien 2
Threes: Burger, Nyle Coleman 2