Franklin, Ind. - Defiance College's Mason Roth hit a 15-foot jumper before time expired to defeat the Franklin College men's basketball team 54-52 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) action on Saturday in the Spurlock Center.

The Grizzlies (6-9, 3-5 HCAC) tied the game at 52-52 with six seconds left after a three-point play from sophomore Dion Smith (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central). Defiance's Roth then drove down the right sideline and banked in a running jumper to pick up the road victory.

Franklin used a 14-3 run early in the second half to take a 38-34 advantage after trailing 27-24 at the break. The lead grew to six points, 45-39, at the 9:37 mark after a three pointer by freshman Robbie Prather (Franklin, Ind./Roncalli).

Defiance (11-4, 6-2 HCAC) answered the hosts run with a 13-2 spurt over the next seven minutes. A three-point field goal by Travis Schomaeker and a jumper from Ryan Hicks gave Defiance a 52-47 lead with 2:13 left.

Franklin senior Terry Sargent (Indianapolis, Ind./Howe) connected on two free throws to bring the Grizzlies within 52-49 with 1:47 remaining.

Later, Defiance missed a three-point field goal attempt and the front end of a bonus free throw situation. Franklin's Smith received a pass and drove to the basket on the team's next offensive possession. The Yellow Jackets committed a foul as the forward made the jumper. Smith converted the free throw to square the game before Roth's last-second shot.

The Grizzlies raced out to a 15-7 lead eight minutes into the contest. The visitors tied the game at 17-17 after a three pointer from Drew Frizell with 6:14 left in the first half. Defiance held the Grizzlies to 32 percent shooting in building the 27-24 halftime advantage.

Sargent had a game-high 14 points, while sophomore Trae Washington (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) scored 12 points. Smith added 11 points and senior Bailey Howard (Nashville, Ind./Brown County) had eight points.

Franklin returns to action on Wednesday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Transylvania University from the Spurlock Center. Live video, audio and statistics of the game will be available here. Live in-game updates will be available on Twitter (@FCAthletics) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinCollegeAthletics).