FRANKLIN, Ind. – Playing in front of their home fans for the first time in a month, the Franklin women's basketball team welcomed the Mount St. Joseph Lions to the Spurlock Center on Wednesday (Jan. 15) night.

Three Grizzlies (8-5, 4-3 HCAC) finished the night in double figures, led by 18 points from junior Bayleigh Walker. But late-game shooting woes hounded the hosts, allowing the Lions (4-10, 3-4 HCAC) to come away with a 74-68 win.

It was all Franklin early on, as the Grizzlies netted the first nine points of the night during the game's opening three minutes. But The Mount would begin to chip away at the lead, drawing even late in the period before a surge from Franklin to end the quarter spotted the Grizzlies a 25-21 lead through 10 minutes.

Both teams would struggle shooting the ball in the second quarter, combining for just seven field goals on 28 attempts. Franklin went nearly six minutes with just one field goal while the Lions took their first lead of the game with a 9-1 run to make it 33-30 late in the half. A layup from Destinee Cross and a three from Britney Ballard late would pull Franklin even at 35 when the teams headed into the locker room.

The Mount grabbed their largest lead of the night thanks to an 8-0 run early in the third quarter, making it a 46-39 game with 5:27 to go in the period. But Franklin would battle back to tie the game at 54 by the end of the quarter, closing out the frame with a Jessica Nix three-point play and a Walker jumper.

The two sides exchanged six lead changes and three ties over the first four minutes of the quarter, with Franklin's last coming at the 7:13 mark after an Isabella Ratliff layup made it 63-62. But Franklin's shooting woes down the stretch would prove costly, as the Grizzlies finished with just two field goals and one free throw over the final seven minutes of play.

Nix finished the night with 12 points while Cross picked up her second double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 boards. Franklin shot 36.4% (28-for-77) from the floor while holding the Lions to 37.7% (20-for-53) on the night. But The Mount's 11 threes and 23 free throws proved critical to victory.

Franklin will look to bounce back on Saturday (Jan. 18), when they begin a three-game road trip at Manchester. Tip-off from North Manchester, Ind. is set for 4:00 p.m. following the men's game before it.