FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin women's basketball team notched their second straight win on Saturday (Dec. 14) afternoon, pulling away late to earn a 64-55 win over Earlham College inside the Spurlock Center.

The Grizzlies (4-2, 2-1 HCAC) forced a season-high 26 turnovers and rode a big fourth quarter to put the Quakers (2-5, 1-1) away and earn their second straight win in conference play. Bayleigh Walker led all players with 18 points for Franklin while Destinee Cross added 10 points and 11 rebounds to earn her first career double-double.

Early in the game, the Quakers took advantage of a near three-minute scoreless stretch by Franklin to take their largest lead of the day at 12-6 with three minutes to go in the quarter. The Grizzlies would close the gap to one at 14-13 after 10 minutes of play, relying on a defense that forced 11 takeaways in the opening period alone.

Ashlin Aycock gave Franklin the lead on the first possession of the second quarter, knocking down her second three-pointer of the afternoon. As the first half ticked away, Franklin surged ahead thanks to a strong shooting performance in the second, out-scoring Earlham 21-9 in the period to take a 34-23 lead into the locker room with a Bayleigh Torrance buzzer-beater book-ending the opening half.

A long Franklin scoring drought to open the second half allowed the Quakers to climb all the way back, as Earlham netted the first 13 points of the period to re-take the lead with five minutes left in the third. Earlham held a 17-7 scoring edge in the quarter, but Franklin was able to fight off their shaky start to hold a 41-40 lead going into the final stanza.

Luckily, the Grizzlies saved their best offensive period for last, opening the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run to stretch their lead out to 51-42 with seven minutes to play. Earlham would get no closer than six points the rest of the way, with Franklin going 9-for-17 from the field in the final frame to close out the Quakers.

The Grizzlies shot 36.9% (24-for-65) from the field, going 4-for-18 from three and 12-for-16 from the line. Defensively, Franklin held Earlham to 36.8% (21-for-57) on the afternoon and hauled in 45 rebounds to 32 for the visitors. Not only was Cross' rebounding total a career-high, she also set a personal best mark by grabbing seven of the team's 22 offensive rebounds.

Franklin closes out a five-game homestand on Wednesday (Dec. 18) afternoon, when they welcome the Wittenberg Tigers to town in what also begins a stretch of three straight non-conference games. Tip-off from the Spurlock Center is set for 3:00 p.m.