FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College women's basketball team returned home from a short road trip for a Tuesday (Nov. 23) night matchup with the Principia Panthers.

A back-and-forth battle came down to the final second of play, and freshman Georgia Hanauer played the hero with a game-winning buzzer-beater to help the Grizzlies (2-2) take a 62-59 win over the Panthers (0-4). 

How it Happened
The Grizzly defense came out aggressive and it paid off, as Principia went without a point for the first 6:40 of the game. Franklin held their guests to 3-for-16 from the floor with eight turnovers in the opening period and held a 16-7 lead through 10 minutes.

Franklin's lead grew to its biggest of the night at 20-10 after a layup from CiCi Bailey at the 8:20 mark of the second, but the Panthers fought to get back within a possession later in the quarter. Franklin would take a 32-27 lead into the half, holding Principia to just two field goals over the final four minutes of the quarter.

Principia would battle back to take their first lead of the night midway through the third quarter, as a Franklin cold spell on offense allowed the Panthers to get back in the game. A Jasmine Walker layup late in the quarter cut the Principia lead to 43-42 with 10 minutes to go.

The game would come down to the final minute and Franklin holding the ball at mid-court with four seconds to go. Hanauer rolled off a screen into the middle of the floor and took the inbound pass before burying the game-winning shot in thrilling fashion.

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin was led in scoring by senior Jessica Nix, who scored 13 points and had a team-high three steals.
-Sophomore CiCi Bailey recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
-Kayla Bruner and Jenna Louden made their first career starts for the Grizzlies. Bruner had a career-high 10 points while Louden saw 13 minutes of action.
-Total rebounds for the night were a whopping 64-36 in Franklin's favor. The last time a Franklin team hit the 60-rebound mark in a game was on Nov. 28, 2012, when they grabbed a single game program record 79 in a win over St. Mary-of-the-Woods. 

Up Next
Franklin is back at home on Wednesday, Dec. 1 when they welcome the Transylvania Pioneers to the Spurlock Center for the start of HCAC play. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.