LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Franklin men's basketball team faced off with the Rose-Hulman Engineers on Saturday (Feb. 29) night with the two in-state rival vying for a spot in Sunday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championship game.

Sophomore Matt Krause turned in a game-high 25 points, but it wasn't enough as the Grizzlies fell victim to a white-hot Rose-Hulman offense that shot better than 50 percent and knocked down 12 threes on the night in an 83-68 Engineer victory.

The Engineers came out firing and held a 13-6 lead before Borden Kennedy converted with five straight points to cut the deficit to two with 11:15 to go in the first half. Franklin used a 10-2 run later in the half to take their largest lead of the game at 29-23, but the Engineers countered to close out the half and take 35-34 edge into the locker room.

The two teams traded haymakers throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half, with the teams alternating the lead six times. Krause was on fire to open the final half, burying three triples and recording 11 points during the opening part of the period.

But the final 10 minutes of play saw the Engineers stay hot from the floor, with Rose rattling off a 15-4 run over the next five minutes to stretch the lead to double figures. That proved to be the game's pivotal stretch, as the Grizzlies would only get as close as nine points the rest of the game.

The Grizzlies shot 44.8% (26-for-58) on the night, knocking down 10 three-pointers and holding a 31-30 edge on the glass. Krause was joined in double figures by Borden Kennedy and his 16 points, as well as Payton Mills' 10-point effort.

Sam Gutierrez led the Grizzlies with seven rebounds and Kennedy handed out seven assists on the night. The Grizzlies pulled down 14 offensive boards and held an 18-15 edge on second chance points.

Franklin ends the year with a 17-9 record, going 13-5 in HCAC play to earn a share of the program's first regular season title since 2007. After the game, head coach Kerry Prather and seniors Kennedy, Kale Morris, Jordan Anderson and Kyle Meyer took part in a press conference. Click on the play button below to hear from all.