By: Garrett Ramsey

FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College women's basketball team was looking to close out a three-game homestand with a win when they met the Mount St. Joseph Lions on Wednesday (Jan. 19) inside the Spurlock Center.

The Grizzlies (4-11, 2-6 HCAC) and Lions (6-7, 3-5 HCAC) took it down to the wire in a thrilling league matchup. Franklin had the final look at the buzzer-beating win, but their last second effort was off the mark as the Lions took home a 70-69 win.

How it Happened
In the first quarter, both teams came out shooting the ball well, but the Lions were able to connect on three first quarter threes to jump ahead. Jessica Nix had 8 first quarter points but after 10 minutes of play the Grizzlies trailed 21-14. Mt. St. Joseph continued their hot shooting early in the second quarter with 6:10 in the half they held their largest lead of the night at  33-20. But the Grizzlies stepped up their game on both ends of the court, ending the half on a 10-0 run that closed the deficit to 33-30 going into the half.

Coming out of the half, back-to-back buckets from CiCi Bailey and Destinee Cross gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the night, but a trio of late 3-pointers gave the Lions a 51-47 lead going into the final period.

At the start of the fourth, back-to-back buckets from Cross tie the game at 51 setting off a stretch from the senior where she scored Franklin's first 11 points of the quarter. The final frame featured four ties and six lead changes and with seven second left, Franklin held the ball with a chance to win the game. But Cross' jumper caught iron and Kayla Bruner was denied a chance at a putback on the offensive rebound before time ran out.

Inside the Box Score
-Cross' monster second half led to her leading all players with 22 points. The Lafayette, Ind.-native went 9-for-18 from the field and grabbed nine boards in a team-high 35 minutes of action.
-Senior Jessica Nix matched a career-high 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Nix added seven boards and four assists in the contest.
-The Grizzlies shot 40.3% (29-for-72) from the field and out-rebounded the Lions 48-30. CiCi Bailey led all players with 12 boards, with seven of those coming on the offensive end.
-Franklin handed out a season-high 22 assists, with Libby Baker's career-high six assists pacing all players.

Up Next
Franklin hits the road on Saturday (Jan. 22) afternoon to take on the Defiance Yellow Jackets. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.