HANOVER, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team hit the road on Wednesday (Dec. 4) night for their Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) opener against defending league champion Hanover.

Down by five at the half, the Grizzlies (3-4, 0-1 HCAC) fell victim to a 14-0 Hanover (5-0, 1-0 HCAC) run to open the second half as the Panthers took the conference-opening meeting, 70-51. Sam Gutierrez led all Grizzlies with 15 points while Matt Krause recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 10 points and 12 boards.

The opening 10 minutes saw seven lead changes and three ties as the long-time rivals battled for position. Franklin knocked down seven of their first 13 shots, the final coming on a Krause layup that tied the game at 15 with 10 minutes left in the opening half.

The next seven minutes saw the Panthers rattle off a 10-0 run, but the Grizzlies would claw back to within 30-25 at the end of the opening half, with a 7-1 run getting the visitors back within striking distance.

The first five minutes of the second half saw Hanover knock down six of their first eight shots to open up a 44-25 advantage. Franklin was able to claw back to within 11 points after a Kale Morris three made it 50-39 with nine minutes left, but the Panthers would close things out down the stretch.

Morris joined Gutierrez and Krause in double figures with 11 points, knocking down a team-high three shots from behind the arc. The Grizzlies shot 42.6% (20-for-47) on the night, going 6-for-21 from three and 5-for-6 from the line. Rebounds were 32-26 in Hanover's favor with the Panthers holding the edge on points in the paint (42-24) and second chance points (18-2).

The Grizzlies will look to get back in the win column on Saturday (Dec. 7) afternoon, when they welcome the Bluffton Beavers to the Spurlock Center for the first of three straight home contests. Tip-off is set for approximately 4:00 p.m.