NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Franklin College men's basketball team looked to punch their ticket to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championship game on Sunday (Mar. 7) afternoon when they met the Manchester Spartans in the semifinals of the 2021 league tournament.

Franklin (8-6) got all they could handle from the Spartans (4-10) but were able to fight through and earn a 78-73 win. Payton Mills had 20 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double and eighth of the season. Franklin moves on to the HCAC championship game for the first time since 2009.

How it Happened
Early on it was all Manchester with the hosts surging out to a 13-6 lead through six minutes of play. The Spartans would lead by as many as seven in the first half before a strong end to the opening 20 minutes vaulted Franklin in front for the first time. Facing a 26-20 deficit with six minutes to go in the half, Franklin closed out the opening half with a 16-5 run that was capped by a Ty Wright three right before the horn that made it 36-31 at halftime.

Manchester kicked off the second half with an 8-2 run, setting the stage for a tightly-contested second half. The two teams exchanged the lead nine times and sat tied on eight occasions over a 15-minute stretch. A Mills layup with 1:48 to go gave the Grizzlies the lead for good and Franklin would hold Manchester to just one field goal over their final five possessions. Danny Goggans put an exclamation point on the win, flushing home a dunk in the waning seconds.

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 47.5% (29-for-61) from the field, knocking down six three-pointers and going 14-for-18 at the stripe. The Grizzlies held Manchester's long range attack to just 7-for-21 from deep and a total of 41.5% from the field for the game.
-The Grizzlies' bench played a major role with Goggans and Nathan Webb both hitting double figures. Goggans had 15 points while Webb notched a career-high with 14 points while playing a season-high 27 minutes.
-Rebounds were a major reason for a Franklin win with the visitors pulling down 44 boards to 26 for the Spartans. Each member of the starting five had at least five rebounds. 

Next Up
The 2021 HCAC Championship will be up for grabs on Wednesday (Mar. 10) night when the Grizzlies meet the Transylvania Pioneers for the crown in Lexington, Ky. The last time Franklin advanced to the league title game, they were bested by Transy back in 2009. 

Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.