BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Franklin men's basketball team completed a three-game road trip on Saturday (Feb. 1) afternoon, taking on the Bluffton Beavers in the final regular season meeting between the conference foes.

Senior Borden Kennedy led the Grizzlies (13-6, 9-3 HCAC) with 20 points, giving him back-to-back games with at least 20 points for the first time this year and second time in his career. But the Beavers (10-9, 6-6 HCAC) would hold the rest of the Grizzlies in check, taking a 67-53 decision.

Bluffton opened the game with nine of the first 12 points and would stretch their lead out to double figures seven minutes in as the Grizzlies struggled to knock down shots. The Grizzlies recorded just three field goals in the opening nine minutes of play and went 9-for-29 from the floor in the half as the Beavers headed into the locker room with a 38-24 lead.

Franklin opened the second half with field goals on their first three possessions, the last coming on a Kennedy layup that brought Franklin back within single digits at 40-31. The Beavers would bump the lead back into double digits but with 11 minutes to play, Kennedy did his best to will the Grizzlies back into the game.

Facing a 51-35 deficit, Kennedy spear-headed a 16-3 run to cut the Bluffton lead to 54-51 with seven minutes to go, scoring 11 of the Grizzlies' points during the five-minute stretch. But the Grizzlies produced one field goal over the final seven minutes of play, allowing the Beavers to pull away and earn a season split with the Grizzlies.

Kennedy went 6-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the line while handing out a team-high five assists. Fellow senior Kale Morris joined Kennedy in double figures, going for 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a team-high three three-pointers. The Grizzlies shot 38.8% (19-for-49) from the field while the Beavers connected on 51.9% (27-for-52) of their shot attempts.

The Grizzlies will be at home for their next three games and five of their final six contests of the season. The first of those games comes on Wednesday (Feb. 5) night, when the Hanover Panthers come to the Spurlock Center for Bankers Rivalry Night and a battle for first place in the HCAC. The opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.