Franklin, Ind. - The Franklin College women's basketball team relied on a stingy defensive effort in earning a 51-28 road triumph over Manchester University in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play on Wednesday.

The Grizzlies (8-4, 4-1 HCAC) held the Spartans to 26.1 percent shooting for the contest. The 28 points allowed are a season low and the fewest points surrendered since 26 points against Anderson University on January 10, 2015.

Senior Katie Brewer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) led Franklin with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Kayle Comer (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) added nine points, while freshman Maddie O'Day (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) scored eight points in the victory.

Franklin used an 8-0 run over the final 5:56 of the first half to take a 21-16 lead at intermission. Then, the Grizzlies scored the first 11 points of the third quarter to build a 16-point advantage, 32-16, at the 3:40 mark.

Franklin's lead reached 21 points, 43-22, following a basket by Comer with 7:30 remaining in the contest. The Grizzlies held Manchester to single-digit point totals for all four quarters.

Franklin returns to action on Saturday, January 9, at 1 p.m. when it travels to Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Live video and statistics of the game will be available. In-game updates will also be available on Twitter (@FCAthletics). Like the Grizzlies on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinCollegeAthletics), and on Instagram (@fcgrizzlies).