LANCASTER, Pa. – Four players scored in double-figures as No. 15 Franklin & Marshall defeated Haverford 78-65 in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Mayser Center. The Diplomats stay a perfect 4-0 in conference play and improved to 7-1 overall. The Fords fell to 5-5, 3-2 CC.

F&M trailed only once early in the contest, but built a 13-point, 43-30, lead going into the break.  Brandon Beckford scored 13 of his 15 points in the opening stanza. Beckford has scored in double-figures in seven of 10 games this season.

The Diplomats continued their pace in the second half, leading by as much as 20 points. The Fords only came within 11 on two occasions throughout the second half.

James McNally scored a game-high 20 points. McNally shot 7-for-9 from the floor and went 6-for-6 from line. He collected eight rebounds and three blocks. McNally moved into the fifth position on F&M's all-time scoring list with 1,563 career points. He is 30 away from tying Alex Kraft '02 for the fourth spot.

Georgio Milligan dropped in 15 points on 7-for-15 shooting. Milligan is 11 points away from becoming the 30th member of the 1,000 points club at F&M.

Mike Baker finished with a double-double, the first for him this season. Baker scored 15 and tied a career high with 14 boards.  He is 99 points away from joining Milligan and McNally in the 1,000 points club.

Three players scored in double-figures for the Fords. Cam Baker had a team-high 19, while Sam Permutt and Brett Cohen finished with 18 and 11 points respectively.

F&M held a commanding 41-30 advantage on the glass and outshot the Fords 50% to 40% from the floor.

The Diplomats return to action on January 2nd when they host the Sponaugle New Years Tournament. F&M will face Old Westbury at 8:00 p.m.

#15 FRANKLIN & MARSHALL 78, HAVERFORD 65
HAVERFORD (5-5, 3-2 CC)
Cam Baker 9-21 1-1 19; Sam Permutt 8-12 2-3 18; Brett Cohen 5-10 1-3 11; Ian Goldberg 3-11 1-2 8; Bo Friddell 1-8 2-2 4; Lekan O-Nicholson 1-2 0-0 3; Joel Michel 1-3 0-0 2; Brennen Sawyer 0-0 0-2 0; Louis Cipriano 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 28-70 7-13 65.

FRANKLIN & MARSHALL (7-1, 4-0 CC)
James McNally 7-9 6-6 20; Brandon Beckford 6-9 1-2 15; Georgio Milligan 7-15 1-2 15; Mike Baker 7-13 0-0 14; Max Brewer 1-5 4-4 7; Steve Tolliver 3-7 1-2 7; Jon Salandra 0-1 0-0 0; Hayk Gyokchyan 0-1 0-0 0; Kevin Henry 0-2 0-0 0; Dave Balderston 0-0 0-0 0; Ed Early 0-0 0-0 0; Brett McCormick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-62 13-16 78.

Haverford.....................   30   35  -   65
Franklin & Marshall...........   43   35  -   78

3-point goals--Haverford 2-15 (Lekan O-Nicholson 1-1; Ian Goldberg 1-4; Brett Cohen 0-1; Bo Friddell 0-4; Joel Michel 0-1; Louis Cipriano 0-1; Cam Baker 0-3), Franklin & Marshall 3-11 (Brandon Beckford 2-3; Max Brewer 1-4; Steve Tolliver 0-2; Georgio Milligan 0-2).

Fouled out--Haverford-Sam Permutt, Franklin & Marshall-None.

Rebounds--Haverford 30 (Brett Cohen 9), Franklin & Marshall 41 (Mike Baker 14).

Assists--Haverford 4 (Lekan O-Nicholson 1; Ian Goldberg 1; Joel Michel 1; Bo Friddell 1), Franklin & Marshall 11 (Georgio Milligan 4).

Total fouls--Haverford 16, Franklin & Marshall 14.

Technical fouls--Haverford-None, Franklin & Marshall-None.

A-721