HANOVER, Ind. – The Franklin women's basketball team hit the road for the finale of a two-game road trip on Wednesday (Feb. 5) night, heading to Collier Arena for a showdown against rival Hanover College in a meeting of the two teams occupying the second and third spots in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) standings.

The two sides exchanged the lead 10 times in the second half alone and the game came down to the final minutes of play. In the end, the Panthers (13-6, 12-1 HCAC) were able to hold off the hard-charging Grizzlies (11-8, 7-6 HCAC), 70-64.

Early on, it was all Panthers as Hanover poured in 10 of the game's first 14 points. Franklin would shake off the slow start to tie the game thanks to six straight points from freshman Bayleigh Torrance, but Hanover would score the final seven points in the opening 10 minutes to take a 17-10 lead into the second quarter.

Franklin's first major push of the game came at the onset of the second quarter, with the Grizzlies netting 15 straight points to open the frame and take a 25-17 lead with 5:43 to play in the half. Both defenses would control the action for the remainder of the half, with Franklin getting a pair of Britney Ballard jumpers the rest of the period on their way to a 29-28 lead at the break.

Hanover opened the second half with a bucket and that started the back-and-forth dual that was the story of the final 20 minutes. Neither side would lead by more than five points in the third quarter, with both teams shooting better than 50% from the floor. Isabella Ratliff's late jumper in the quarter brought Franklin within one possession at 51-48 with 10 minutes to play.

Ballard opened the final quarter with a jumper and a three to put Franklin back in front at 53-51 and with five minutes to go in the game, the Grizzlies held a 57-56 lead after Destinee Cross put them in front with a layup. The Panthers responded with an 8-3 run before a Bayleigh Walker jumper made it 64-62 Hanover with 1:33 to go. But the Grizzlies couldn't find the go-ahead bucket before the final buzzer, as Hanover knocked down four straight free throws to close out the game.

Ballard returned to the starting lineup and led the Grizzlies with 18 points, going 8-for-15 from the floor. She was joined in double figures by Cross (12 pts), Walker (12 pts) and Torrance (11 pts) as the Grizzlies shot 39.4% (29-for-71) from the floor.

Rebounds were 44-32 in Franklin's favor with Cross grabbing a game-high eight boards. Franklin hauled in 19 offensive boards and assisted on 24 of their 28 field goals with Ratliff's five assists leading the team.

The Grizzlies open a three-game homestand on Saturday (Feb. 8) afternoon when they welcome the Manchester Spartans to the Spurlock Center. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.