LANCASTER, Pa. - A slow start proved costly on Saturday afternoon as Eastern Women's Basketball dropped a 61-44 decision to the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats. F&M scored the first 12 points of the contest and Eastern scored just eight points on four-of-18 shooting in the opening frame. Despite solid showings in the second and fourth frames, the Eagles were unable to overcome the early deficit.

Junior guard Jeriyah Johnson played her second strong game in a row for the Eagles with 19 points on seven-of-17 shooting to go along with two rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Kayla Worsley-Wooten scored 10 points with four rebounds, while junior Damiyae Moyet added seven points and seven rebounds off the bench. 

The Eagles were held off the scoreboard for over six minutes to begin the contest as the Diplomats built a 12-0 lead and eventually increased their advantage to 15-4 with 3:29 to go in the frame. The Eagles cut the deficit to seven points heading into the second quarter on baskets from Worsley-Wooten and Tyerra Jarvis. 

Eastern got to within one point early in the second frame. Moyet opened the quarter with a three-pointer, and the Eagles trailed just 17-16 on a Johnson triple and free throw combined with a made free throw from Stephanie White. After the Diplomats pushed their lead back to five, the Eagles again trimmed it down to one on baskets from Johnson and Jarvis. However, the Diplomats ended the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 30-23 lead into the halftime break. 

The Eagles never got any closer the rest of the way as the Diplomats continued to build their advantage to double-digits. F&M led by 14 points at the end of the third frame and led by as many as 20 in the final quarter before settling on a 17-point victory. 

Eastern finished the contest shooting 17-of-58 (29.4 percent) from the field with five of those field goals coming in the second frame. The Eagles also shot just two-of-17 from beyond the arc and eight-of-14 from the free-throw line. 

Three players finished in double figures for the Diplomats, led by Ally Trebelev's 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Lizzie Neville scored 11 points, while Quinn Galligan added 10 points and seven boards. 

Eastern (0-4) will continue its road trip this coming Wednesday, Nov. 20 as it travels to Allentown to take on Muhlenberg. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 pm.