CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Franklin College men's basketball team tipped off a three-game road trip on Wednesday (Jan. 19) night, taking on the Mount St. Joseph Lions in the final game of the first round of league play.

Sophomore Ty Wright and freshman Cody Samples paced the Franklin (8-8, 4-5 HCAC) offense with 18 points each, as the Grizzlies were able to snap a four-game slide with a 76-72 win over the Lions (6-9, 2-6 HCAC).

How it Happened
Neither side led by more than five points in the opening 20 minutes, with the game seeing three ties and eight lead changes before the halftime horn. A long triple from Wright with 13 seconds to play in the half proved to be the deciding bucket as Franklin took a 33-32 lead into the intermission.

Another pair of ties and four lead changes populated the opening few minutes of play before Franklin rattled off the game's first big run. A three from Samples with 17:47 to go kick-started a 10-0 Franklin run that made it 45-38 with 15 minutes to play. The Lions answered with seven straight points to even things up before the Grizzlies grabbed the lead for good with a 15-3 run that gave them their biggest least of the game at 60-48 with eight minutes to go.

The Lions spent the rest of the night trying to mount a furious comeback, but the Grizzlies iced the game with Samples and Jalen Love knocking down four free throws in the final seconds to put the game away.

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin turned in an efficient showing on offense, knocking down 50% (27-for-54) of their field goals with 11 three-pointers.
-Wright went 6-for-12 from the floor with three triples and five boards.
-Samples turned in a career night on the score sheet, going 6-for-10 from the field with four three-pointers and a pair of assists. It was the second double digit outing of the Versailles, Ind.-native's career, besting his previous career high of 12 points.
-Matt Krause continued to churn out double-doubles, adding 12 points and pulling down 10 board to nab his sixth of the year.
-Rebounds were 34-25 in the Grizzlies' favor with Franklin turning 11 offensive boards into 16 second chance points. 

Up Next
The Grizzlies head back to Ohio on Saturday (Jan. 22) to meet the Defiance Yellow Jackets. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.