DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Franklin College men's basketball team headed east on Friday (Jan. 22) evening for the opener of a weekend home-and-home with the Defiance Yellow Jackets.

Junior forward Matt Krause was the star of the night for the Grizzlies (2-3, 2-1 HCAC), knocking down a career-high seven threes on his way to a game-high 22 points. For the second straight game, Franklin rode an efficient offensive showing and a dominant second half defensive performance to victory, besting Defiance (0-3, 0-3 HCAC) 88-65.

Franklin took control of the game early, with Krause knocking down three straight triples to spark a 15-2 Franklin run that made it 19-7 Grizzlies less than six minutes into the game. Defiance countered with an 11-4 run to get back within striking distance, but the Grizzlies busted things open before the end of the half, leading by as many as 15 in the period before taking a 46-38 lead into the break.

Both teams lit it up from the floor in the opening period, with Franklin shooting 51.5% (17-for-33) and Defiance knocking down 55.6% (15-for-27) of their attempts. The two sides combined for 13 first half three-pointers, with Krause splashing home four of Franklin's seven triples.

The Grizzlies continued their hot shooting in the second half, while the defense put the clamps down on Defiance over the final 20 minutes. Franklin buried 60% (18-for-30) of their shots over the final 20 minutes while holding the Yellow Jackets to under 35% shooting in the second half to pull away.

After a Defiance bucket opened the second half, Franklin blew the game open with a 13-2 run that made it 59-42 with just under 16 minutes to play. Franklin's lead wouldn't dip below 11 points the rest of the way, and the defense would hold Defiance scoreless over the game's final 3:07 to close out an emphatic win.

Senior Sam Gutierrez turned in another strong showing on offense, finishing with 17 points and a team-leading four assists. Payton Mills continued his streak of double-doubles to open the year, adding 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Krause also recorded his second straight double-double, pulling down 10 boards as Franklin finished with a 39-23 stranglehold on the rebounding battle.

The Grizzlies look to make it three straight wins when the two teams meet again on Saturday (Jan. 23) night in Franklin's Spurlock Center. Tip-off is set for approximately 6:00 p.m.