LEXINGTON, Ky. – A spot in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championship game was up for grabs on Saturday (Feb. 29) afternoon, when the third-seeded Franklin women's basketball team took on second-seeded Hanover.

Sophomore Destinee Cross led the Grizzlies (17-9) in scoring for the third straight game, pouring in 17 points while Jenna Cowart recorded her second consecutive double-double with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. But their efforts came up short, as Hanover (19-6) pulled away in the second half to earn a 72-59 win and move the Panthers into tomorrow's HCAC title game.

A three from Cross on the Grizzlies' second possession of the game gave them an early lead but Hanover would take over after that with a 13-1 run before another Cross triple stopped the bleeding and made it 17-7 late in the first. The Grizzlies netted just three first quarter field goals and trailed 22-10 after 10 minutes.

Hanover's lead climbed to as many as 15 before Franklin made a furious push to close out the first half. The Grizzlies closed out the opening half with a 14-4 run, chopping Hanover's lead down to 34-29 when the teams broke for intermission.

Layup from Cowart opened the second half and brought the Grizzlies within one possession, but six straight points from the Panthers stretched the lead back to nine. Buckets from Cowart and Ashlin Aycock brought Franklin back within striking distance, but the Panthers closed the quarter out-scoring the Grizzlies 15-8 over the final six minutes to make it 55-43 with 10 minutes to go.

Franklin got back within nine with eight minutes to go, but it ended up being as close as they would come for the rest of the afternoon. Hanover went 5-for-11 from the floor and knocked down seven free throws to close out the win.

Joining Cross and Cowart in double figures was senior Ashlin Aycock, who chipped in with 12 points off the bench in her final career game. Franklin grabbed a season-high 22 offensive rebounds, finishing with an overall edge on the glass at 42-40.

The Grizzlies finish the season with a 17-9 record, notching their most wins in a season since 2014-15 when they racked up 19 victories.