YORK, Pa. – York outscored Franklin & Marshall 45-25 in the second half to break a halftime tie and defeated the Diplomats 78-58 in men's basketball action Sunday afternoon. The Diplomats fell to 2-3, while the Spartans improved to 5-2.

The game went back-and-forth in the opening minutes with York leading 9-8 at 14:55. A Solomon Mathis triple two minutes later put F&M up 11-9, before York put together an 8-2 spurt to go up 17-13 with 9:15 on the clock. The Diplomats countered with a 5-1 run and tied the game at 18-18 and the teams traded buckets during the final five minutes of the half resulting in a 33-33 tie at the break.

York struck first in the final frame and two free throws from Justin Kupa tied the game at 37-37 at 18:34. The Spartans responded with a 12-3 run for a 49-40 lead at 13:36. F&M came within six, 54-48, on a three from Jaka Pandza at 9:57 and only trailed by seven, 58-51, at 7:46, but York closed out the game with a commanding 20-7 run to secure the victory.

Justin Kupa led F&M with eight points, hitting 6-of-6 from the stripe. Les Thomas chipped in seven and Jaka Pandza ended with six.

York outshot F&M 51%-35%, held a slight 39-34 edge on the glass, while the Diplomats outscored the Spartans 28-17 from the bench.

The Diplomats return to action on Wednesday when F&M hosts Haverford at 8:00 p.m.