TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Franklin women's basketball team opened their season on Thursday (Jan. 14) night, battling the Rose-Hulman Engineers in the first of two straight games between the in-state Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) foes.

Franklin (1-0, 1-0 HCAC) got the season started off in convincing fashion, besting the Engineers (0-1, 0-1 HCAC) 76-61. Junior Destinee Cross matched a career-high with 20 points, with the Grizzlies knocking down 52% (26-for-50) of their field goals on the evening.

The Grizzlies took the lead on the first possession of the game and never looked back, jumping out to a 22-9 lead after one quarter. Franklin went 7-for-10 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes and closed out the period on a 14-2 run to grab control of the contest.

The visitors continued to pile it on in the second period, extending the lead to a first half best 19 points after two free throws from Lindsay Freije made it 30-11 with 6:19 to go in the half. But the host Engineers would close the gap slightly before the end of the half, cutting Franklin's lead to 39-26 when the teams broke for intermission.

Rose-Hulman continued to chip away at the lead, getting within single digits late in the third quarter. But the Grizzlies would put a halt to any kind of Rose comeback, keeping the lead in double figures and thanks to a 12-4 run to open the final quarter, Franklin held a 71-51 lead with under seven minutes to play. The lead would get as high as 21 before the final horn sounded.

The Grizzly defense held the Engineers to 44.2% (23-for-52) from the field and did not surrender a three-pointer all night. On the offensive end, junior Britney Ballard and sophomore Bayleigh Torrance joined Cross in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Cross and Freije tied for the team lead with six rebounds each while Ballard's five assists led all players.

Franklin and Rose-Hulman will be back at it on Saturday (Jan. 16) afternoon, when the two teams meet in the Spurlock Center for Franklin's home opener. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.