FRANKLIN, Ind. – Franklin College junior Bayleigh Walker became the newest member of the 1,000-point club on Saturday (Feb. 22) afternoon when the Grizzlies' women's basketball team hosted Defiance in their final regular season game.

Walker finished with 14 points, hitting the milestone just before the end of the first half. She was one of three Grizzlies (16-8, 12-6 HCAC) in double figures on the day, as Franklin dominated the Yellow Jackets (7-18, 6-12 HCAC) in the second half to secure an 84-50 win, giving them five straight victories to close out the regular season.

Despite being the road team, the Yellow Jackets took control of the game early, scoring on the game's first possession and never trailing in the opening quarter. Defiance led by as many as nine points in the period and the Grizzlies faced an 18-11 deficit going into the second period.

Franklin shook off their slow start, opening the second quarter with nine straight point to take their first lead of the night, with Walker's milestone bucket making it 20-18 with seven minutes to go in the half. In total, the Grizzlies went 9-for-18 from the floor and 7-for-11 from the line in the second along, out-scoring Defiance 25-14 in the period to take a 36-32 lead into the break.

The Grizzlies wasted no time blowing the game open in the third quarter, ripping off a 17-2 run to turn a one-point lead into a 55-39 advantage late in the period. The Grizzlies knocked down 11 field goals in the third quarter alone and headed into the final 10 minutes with a 62-44 advantage. Franklin's defense turned up the pressure over the final 10 minutes, limiting Defiance to just two field goals before the final horn sounded.

Freshman Jenna Cowart turned in a career afternoon, scoring a game-high and career-high 15 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the year. Jessica Nix added 10 points off the bench and Cassidy Yant set career highs with nine points and 10 rebounds. Franklin shot 41.9% (31-for-74) from the field while holding Defiance to 32.7% (18-for-55) shooting.

The Grizzlies absolutely dominated on the glass, grabbing a season-high 60 rebounds to double-up the 30 for Defiance. It was the first time the Grizzlies have reached 60 boards in a game since Nov. 28, 2012, when the team set a program record with 79 rebounds.

Prior to the start of the game, the team said "thank you" to senior guards Ashlin Aycock and Taylor McDaniel with the senior day ceremony. Aycock finished with eight points and four rebounds while McDaniel had five points, four boards, two assists and two steals.

Franklin opens post-season play on Tuesday (Feb. 25) night, when they welcome the HCAC tournament's No. 6 seed in the Earlham Quakers to the Spurlock Center for quarterfinal action. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.