TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play tipped off for the Franklin men's basketball team on Thursday (Jan. 14) night with the Grizzlies hitting the road to take on the Rose-Hulman Engineers.

Franklin (0-3, 0-1 HCAC) got a season high 19 points from senior Sam Gutierrez and Payton Mills recorded his third straight double-double to open the campaign with 12 points and 13 rebounds. But Franklin was unable to overcome and Engineer (1-0, 1-0 HCAC) offense that shot 51.7% from the floor in the second half in a 65-62 Rose win.

The Engineers took an early advantage with a 9-2 run midway through the opening half to make it a 15-8 game with 11:39 to play before the break. The host's lead would grow to as many as nine in the first half before the Grizzlies caught fire before the break, closing out the half on a 19-3 run to make it 38-30 in Franklin's favor through 20 minutes of action. The Grizzlies ended the opening period shooting 51.7% from the floor, knocking down five three-pointers.

The script flipped when the two teams came out for the second half, with the Engineers rattling off a 9-0 to start the period and re-take the lead. Mills answered with a layup to put Franklin back in front, and the two sides would spend the next several minutes locked in a one-possession battle before landing in a 49-49 tie with nine minutes to play.

Seven straight Engineer points re-established Rose's lead, but the Grizzlies would hang tight and have two looks in the final minute to tie things up. But triples from Matt Krause and Gutierrez just missed finding the twine before the final horn, giving the contest to the Engineers.

Joining Gutierrez and Mills in double figures was fellow senior Ismail Jones, who poured in a career-high 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting. The teams shot an identical 44.8% (26-for-58) from the floor, while the Grizzlies finished with a 42-30 edge in the rebounding battle. Turnovers proved to be critical, with the Engineers winning the battle 15-7 and getting 17 points off Grizzly miscues.

Franklin and Rose-Hulman wrap up their home-and-home on Saturday (Jan. 16) afternoon as part of an afternoon basketball double-header. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 3:00 p.m.