No. 8 Franklin & Marshall Too Much for Men's Basketball, 74-50

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Sophomore Jay Kober scored 19 points and senior Michael Giannangeli netted a career-high 14 to lead the Swarthmore College men's basketball team (1-11, 1-4), but it did little to keep powerhouse Franklin & Marshall at bay, as the No. 8 Diplomats (13-0, 6-0) defeated the Garnet 74-50 on Saturday afternoon from Tarble Pavilion.

Forward Hayk Gyokchyan led the balanced Diplomat effort with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 11 rebounds. Matt Porter added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Unbeaten F&M got it done with an incredibly efficient effort on both ends of the court, shooting 51 percent from the field -- 57 percent in the second half -- while limiting the Garnet to few open looks all afternoon. The Dips also made the most of their second chances, turning 15 offensive rebounds into 20 points.

The first half was highlighted by great defensive efforts on each side. The Dips held the Garnet to just 22 points on 30 percent shooting - and 0-of-9 shooting from behind the arc - while Swarthmore's zone defense stymied F&M's high-powered offense for long stretches. Led by 11 points from Porter, the Dips went into the half with a 35-22 lead.

Swarthmore looked poised to get back into the game early in the second half. A three-pointer from junior Will Gates and driving lay-up from Giannangeli saw Swat cut the lead to 37-27 at the 16-minute mark. But in an instant, the Dips turned the tables, going on a decisive 11-0 run that proved to be the difference in the game. Led by triples from Porter and Gyokchyan as well as a monstrous fast-break dunk from Gyokchyan, the Dips extended the lead to 48-27 with 13:18 to go.

From that point on, it was all Franklin & Marshall. The Dips extended the lead to as large as 29 in the second half en route to the 74-50 win.

The game featured a match-up of the Centennial Conference's top two scorers -- Will Gates and F&M's Georgio Milligan -- but surprisingly enough, neither player reached double-digits; Gates and Milligan each finished with nine points for the game.

The Diplomats finished with a 2-to-1 rebounding edge for the game (42-21).

Junior Jordan Martinez finished with six points. Gates led the Garnet with five rebounds.

Swarthmore returns to action on Monday when it hosts Gettysburg. Play is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.