COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Behind an impressive all-around performance, the Ursinus men's basketball team defeated No. 19 Franklin & Marshall, 72-69, on Wednesday evening inside Helfferich Hall.
 
 
With the victory, Ursinus improved to 13-6 overall and 6-2 in Centennial Conference play. Meanwhile, the Diplomats fell to 17-3 overall and 6-2 in conference action. The win marked the Bears' second victory over a nationally ranked opponent this season after defeating York in December and extended Ursinus' home winning streak over Franklin & Marshall to five straight games.

 
Senior forward Mohamed Toure led the Bears with a team-high 22 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Matthew Field scored a career-high 15 points while going a perfect 9-for-9 at the free-throw line and added eight rebounds. Senior Nick Nocito contributed 10 points, seven assists and two steals.

 
Franklin & Marshall jumped out to an early 9-0 lead through the first four minutes of play until junior Luke Niemann connected on a 3-pointer with 16 minutes remaining. After a Bears timeout, first-year Tomas Belaiter scored four straight points for Ursinus, while a layup by Toure cut the deficit to 12-9 with 11:57 remaining. A 13-8 Diplomat run stretched the lead to 26-17, but 3-pointers by sophomore Porter Kelly and Toure made it 29-23 with 6:13 remaining in the first half. Franklin & Marshall hit a triple at the 3:34 mark to push the advantage to 34-25, but Ursinus closed the half on an 8-2 run to trim the halftime deficit to 36-33.

 
The Bears responded out of the break by scoring seven straight points to secure their first lead at 40-36 with 18 minutes remaining. Sophomore Jamie Murphy and Nocito opened the half with layups before a 3-pointer by Toure forced a Diplomat timeout. Franklin & Marshall answered with an 8-2 run to regain a 44-42 lead with 15:13 remaining. Field scored five straight points for Ursinus, capped by converting a three-point play at the line to give the Bears a 47-43 advantage.

 
However, the Diplomats used a 3-pointer, a free throw, and a layup to tie the contest at 50 with 10 minutes to play. The teams traded baskets until Field knocked down a pair of free throws and Toure hit a 3-pointer to give Ursinus a 59-54 edge with 5:04 remaining. Franklin & Marshall cut the deficit to two with 4:09 left behind three straight free throws, but Field answered with four straight points to extend the Bears' lead to 65-59 with 3:42 remaining. The Diplomats connected on a 3-pointer to pull within 69-66 with 1:07 remaining, but Ursinus closed out the contest at the free-throw line to secure the 72-69 victory.

  
Ursinus shot 42.3% (22-for-52) from the field, 29.4% (5-for-17) from 3-point range and a season-high 88.5% (23-for-26) at the free-throw line. Franklin & Marshall was held to a season-low 33.3% (21-for-63) shooting, including 26.5% (9-for-34) from deep, while going 18-for-21 (85.7%) at the line.
 

The Bears held a 32-22 advantage in points in the paint and a slim 37-35 edge in rebounds. Steve Donahue led the Diplomats with 22 points and six assists.
 
 
The Bears return to action Saturday, February 7th, when they host Johns Hopkins at 1 p.m.