FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College men's basketball team opened a huge four-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 29) afternoon with a matchup against the Manchester Spartans.

Matt Krause and Ty Wright each recorded double-doubles for the Grizzlies (9-10, 5-7 HCAC) and five Franklin players finished the afternoon in double figures. However, in a game that went down to the wire, the Spartans (8-11, 7-5 HCAC) would leave town with an 83-82 win.

How it Happened
The two sides played an entertaining first half that saw 11 ties and 11 lead changes over the first 20 minutes of action. Neither side led by more than six points and both teams shot better than 50% from the field in the opening half. When the horn sounded for halftime, the two teams sat knotted up at 42.

The Grizzlies scored on the first possession of the second half and held on to the lead for the bulk of the period. Franklin's largest lead of the game came following a Carter Crowe triple that made it 71-61 with 7:24 to go in the game. But Manchester fought back to tie the game with 1:14 to play and notch four straight points in the final minute that were too much for FC to overcome.

Inside the Box Score
-Krause had a team-high 21 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to record his seventh double-double of the year.
-Wright collected his third career double-double and second of the season with a 19-point, 10-rebound effort.
-Also hitting double figures on the night were TJ Deere (17 pts), Jalen Love (13 pts) and Crowe (10 pts).
-Both teams turned in an efficient showing on offense, with Franklin shooting 48.4% (30-for-62) from the floor and Manchester hitting 50.8% (31-for-61) of their field goals.

Up Next
Franklin continues their homestand on Wednesday (Feb. 2) night, hosting the Transylvania Pioneers. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.