FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College men's basketball team faced off with rival Hanover College for the fourth and final time in the regular season on Saturday (Jan. 30) afternoon, with the Grizzlies looking to avenge a loss to the Panther two days earlier.

Backed by a strong defensive effort and white-hot shooting in the second half, the Grizzlies (4-4) got back in the win column and collected their fourth win in their last five games, besting the Panthers (3-3) 74-62. The Grizzlies limited Hanover to 37.5% (21-for-56) from the floor and just 3-for-19 from deep as they claimed victory over the Panthers for the first time under head coach Brian Lebowitz.

Both teams flexed their defensive muscle in the opening 20 minutes, with neither side shooting better than 41% in the first half. The period featured 10 lead changes and four ties, with the largest advantage for either side being a scant five points. Down by a point on the final possession, the Grizzlies got a three with one second on the clock from Nathan Webb, sending the hosts into the locker room with a 33-31 lead.

Another four lead changes and three ties followed early in the second half, but Franklin would get a little cushion to work with as the game approached the midway mark of the second half. Six straight points stretched the Griz lead to 52-45 with 11 minutes to play and after a Ty Wright jumper at the 7:13 mark, Franklin had their first double-digit lead of the day at 60-49.

The Panthers turned to the long ball to try and get back in the game, but were limited to just 2-for-12 from deep over the final 20 minutes as the Grizzly lead never dipped back into single digits. Ismail Jones put the finishing touches on the win with less than a minute to go, capping a monster second half that saw the senior guard score all 16 of his points to set a new career-high total.

Franklin shot 49% (25-for-51) on the day, going 7-for-19 from three and 17-for-23 at the charity stripe. Sam Gutierrez led all scorers with 22 points, joining Jones in double figures along with freshman Nathan Webb, who added 11 points to set a new season-high. On the glass, the Grizzlies dominated to the tune of a 39-25 edge in rebounding. Freshman Ty Wright was a magnet for missed shots, pulling down a career-high 14 boards.

The Grizzlies will be back at home on Friday, Feb. 5, when they welcome defending league champion Transylvania University to the Spurlock Center. Tip-off for that game is set for 7:30 p.m.