DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Franklin College women's basketball team hit the road On Saturday (Jan. 22) for the start of round two of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play against the Defiance Yellow Jackets.

The Grizzlies (4-12, 2-7 HCAC) fell victim to a big fourth quarter from the Yellow Jackets (9-5, 4-4 HCAC), with Defiance burying four fourth quarter threes to rally for a 65-60 win.

How it Happened
Consecutive baskets from CiCi Bailey and Destinee Cross gave the Grizzlies a 9-8 lead with 5:58 to go in the first quarter, but Franklin wouldn't find the basket for the rest of the period. That allowed Defiance to close the quarter with six straight points and take a 14-9 lead into the second.

A basket from Cross opened the second to end Franklin's drought, but baskets for both sides were tough to come by in the second quarter. Maddie Barnes' three-point play closed out the half, cutting the Defiance lead to 21-18 after one half.

The Grizzlies grabbed the lead with a 7-0 run early in the second half and would take a 42-40 lead into the final quarter with two late free throws from Kayla Bruner providing the difference. The game's deciding stretch came early in the fourth quarter, with Defiance's first four field goals of the period all coming from three to open up a 53-44 lead. The Grizzlies closed the gap to two with three minutes to play, but their comeback bid fell short.

Inside the Box Score
-Cross led the Grizzlies in scoring with 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to record her first double-double of the year.
-Joining Cross in double figures was sophomore Sarah O'Day, who added 12 points and had three steals.
-Franklin shot 35.1% (20-for-57) from the field and defended well all day, with Defiance shooting 28.3% (15-for-53) from the floor.
-Free throws played a major role on Saturday, with the Grizzlies going 18-for-25 at the line and the Yellow Jackets going 27-for-33 from the stripe. 

Up Next
Franklin returns home for their next two games, the first coming on Wednesday (Jan. 25) night against Earlham. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.