By: Destinee Cross

FRANKLIN, Ind. – After two straight game away from home, the Franklin College men's basketball team returned to the Spurlock Center on Saturday (Jan. 11) for a matchup with the Bluffton Beavers.

Freshman Mitch O'Mara was the star of the afternoon, pouring in a career-high 33 points for the Grizzlies (7-8, 3-5 HCAC). But his heroics weren't enough as the Beavers (5-7, 1-4 HCAC) took advantage of a short FC bench to earn a 70-65 win.

How it Happened
The Grizzlies started game with a 10-2 run with Lynn King's basket at the 17:18 mark capping a hot start. Shortly after, the Beavers responded with 17 straight points over an eight-minute stretch before O'Mara hit a jump shot to stop the bleeding and cut the deficit to 19-12 with 9:30 to play in the first half. Franklin stayed with striking distance before heading into the locker room trailing 31-23. 

Early in the second half, the Beavers widened the lead with 9-2 run. Logan Hudgens hit a 3 to get the Grizzlies with 3 points 48-45 with 7:31 to play. O'Mara did all he could to will the grizzlies back into the game with 22 points in the second half, but the Grizzlies wouldn't get any closer than three points the rest of the night as the Beavers closed things out at the line late.

Inside the Box Score
-O'Mara went 13-for-19 from the field with three three-pointers on the night. The Avon, Ind.-native became the first Grizzly to top 30 points in a game since Kale Morris dropped 32 points on Earlham on Feb. 2, 2019.
-Sophomore Logan Hudgins hit double figures for the first time in his career with 10 points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds coming off the bench.
-Freshman Lynn King also reached double digits for the first time in his career with 11 points and handed out a team-high five assists in his second career start.
-Franklin shot 46.3% (25-for-54) from the field, knocking down 10 three-pointers on the night.

Up Next
The Grizzlies head back out on the road for their next three contests. The first comes on Wednesday (Jan. 19) night when they head to Ohio to meet the Mount St. Joseph Lions. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.