FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College men's basketball team rang in the new year in the best way possible – picking up a big win in their return to Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play.

The Grizzlies (7-4, 3-1 HCAC) notched their second straight conference win on Saturday (Jan. 1), pulling away from Earlham (3-7, 0-4 HCAC) late in a 72-57 victory. Four Franklin players reached double figures in points, with the team riding a red-hot second half shooting the ball to claim their fourth straight win over the Quakers.

How it Happened
The Grizzlies got things going with a 9-2 run before a pair of Earlham threes slashed the FC lead to a point at the six minute mark of the first half. Defense dictated the opening 20 minutes of play, with both teams shooting under 40% from the field. An 11-4 run to close out the first half sent the hosts into the locker room leading 28-23.

A three from Carter Crowe at the 16:05 mark of the second half gave the Griz their biggest lead to date at 36-28, but Earlham would hang within striking distance and with eight minutes to go, Franklin held a 44-42 lead. The rest of the game was all Grizzlies, with the hosts out-scoring the Quakers 28-15 down the stretch to pull away.

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 50% (25-for-50) from the field, doing most of their damage over the final 20 minutes where they shot 14-for-21 from the field.
-Matt Krause turned in a big game with 21 points and 13 rebounds, leading FC in both categories and picking up his fifth double-double of the season.
-Ty Wright had 17 points and grabbed five rebounds with Crowe adding 10 points and five boards.
-Freshman Reggie McDonald played a critical role in the win, finishing with career highs in points (11) and assists (7).
-Franklin dominated the game on the glass, grabbing 40 boards to just 21 for the Quakers.

Up Next
The Grizzlies are back at home on Wednesday (Jan. 5) night, hosting the Rose-Hulman Engineers in a big conference showdown. Tip-off from the Spurlock Center is set for 7:30 p.m.