CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Franklin men's basketball team resumed their season on Thursday (Feb. 11) night, taking on the Mount St. Joseph Lions in their first game in 12 days.

The Grizzlies (5-4) took the lead on the first possession of the night and never trailed, downing the Lions (1-10) by a 73-64 count. Four Grizzlies finished the night in double figures, with Payton Mills and Ismail Jones tying for the team-high with 17 points each. Mills added 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double while Jones' night set a new career-high in scoring.

Franklin opened the game with a 7-2 run but the Lions would shake off a slow start and tie the game late in the first half thanks to a flurry of threes from MSJ guard Brady Thomas. The Grizzlies shot better than 50% from the floor in the opening half and led 36-34 at the break. Mount St. Joseph was able to stay within striking distance thanks to six first half three-pointers.

The Grizzlies looked to pull away early in the second half but each time the Lions had an answer, staying within striking distance as the game entered its final 10 minutes. Up by four points midway through the period, Franklin got a major boost on back-to-back possessions with a jumper from Ty Wright followed by a Colin York three that made it 59-50 with 10:50 to go. Not long after, the lead would grow to double figures and remain there until the final 30 seconds of play.

Franklin shot 50% (30-for-60) from the floor while limiting the Lions to 42.4% (25-for-59) from the field. Also reaching double figures was Wright and his 10 points, as well as Matt Krause who had 16 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Franklin dominated on the glass, pulling down 43 rebounds while allowing just 25.

The two sides will have a rematch on Saturday (Feb. 13) afternoon inside Franklin's Spurlock Center. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.