FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin women's basketball team closed out a five-game homestand on Wednesday (Dec. 18) afternoon, taking on the Wittenberg Tigers in a non-conference meeting.

Junior Bayleigh Walker led the Grizzlies (4-3) with 17 points and Destinee Cross netted a career-high 16 points on the afternoon. But fourth quarter struggles plagued the home side and the Tigers (6-4) pulled away over the final 10 minutes for a 72-57 win.

It was all Tigers early on as Wittenberg jumped out to an 8-2 lead four minutes in. Franklin responded with seven straight points to take their first lead of the game, but the Grizzlies went silent over the final 3:23 of the period, allowing Wittenberg to take a 13-9 lead into the second quarter.

Franklin turned in their most efficient period on the offensive end in the second quarter, going 9-for-15 from the floor during the frame. A 9-0 run midway through the period gave the Grizzlies a 28-25 lead before a late Tiger surge gave the guests a 31-30 advantage going into the half.

The third quarter saw six ties and neither side lead by more than four points. Franklin's defense forced seven turnovers in the period and turned those takeaways into nine points at the other end. With 10 minutes to go in the game, the two sides were dead-locked at 49.

But a rough start to the fourth quarter for Franklin proved to be the game's deciding factor, as Wittenberg went opened the period with a 12-2 run to take their first double-digit lead of the day. The Tigers would record 14 of their 23 fourth quarter points off turnovers, pulling away late to snap Franklin's two-game winning streak.

The Grizzlies shot 35% (21-for-60) from the field, going 2-for-9 from three and 13-for-21 at the line. At the other end, the Tigers knocked down 47.5% (28-for-59) of their field goals, connecting on 5-of-15 threes and 11-of-16 free throws.

Rebounds were 42-34 in Wittenberg's favor with Walker's six boards leading all Grizzlies. Jenna Cowart recorded a team-high four steals, followed by three pick-pockets from senior Taylor McDaniel.

Franklin is off for 10 days before hopping on a plane and heading to Daytona, Fla. for the Land of Magic Classic. The Grizzlies open the two-day even with a matchup against Salve Regina University on Dec. 28 with tip-off set for noon.