DANVILLE, Ky. – The Franklin College women's basketball team opened their first road trip of the year on Friday (Nov. 19) night, taking on the Centre Colonels in the opening round of the Centre Classic.

Senior Jessica Nix set career highs with 17 points and seven steals for the Grizzlies (1-1), but a fourth quarter offensive slump proved the difference as Centre (2-1) rallied to take a 64-55 win.

How it Happened
The opening period saw the Colonels lead by as many as eight late in the quarter, taking a 20-14 lead into the second period. Down 31-24 with 5:28 to go in the opening half, the Grizzlies got things going at both ends of the floor and did not allow a Centre point the rest of the half, closing out the second quarter with a 9-0 run to take a 33-31 lead into the break.

The Grizzlies held the Colonels without a field goal for the first 5:40 of the second half, but the offense couldn't land the knock-out blow and the Colonels stormed back to tie things up at 40 late in the quarter. Heading to the final 10 minutes, Franklin held a 47-43 lead.

The fourth quarter saw two teams shoot under 40% from the floor in the period, but the Colonels had the difference maker at the line, going 11-for-12 at the charity stripe to pull away late.

Inside the Box Score
-The Grizzlies held the advantage in shooting, connecting on 43.6% (24-for-55) of their field goals to 34.5% (19-for-55) for Centre.
-Free throws played a critical role in the game, with Centre going 21-for-29 at the line to 6-for-15 for Franklin.
-Freshman Jasmine Walker made her career debut, adding nine points and a team-high 12 rebounds in 16 minutes of action. She was one of two Grizzlies making their career debut in the game, with Georgia Hanauer being the other.
-Rebounds were 39-36 in Franklin's favor and the Grizzlies held a 36-18 advantage on points in the paint.

Up Next
Franklin closes out the weekend with a Saturday (Nov. 20) afternoon matchup against Oglethorpe. Tip-off from Danville is set for 1:00 p.m.