WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Franklin men's basketball team continued their season-opening road trip on Friday (Nov. 11) night, taking on the Otterbein Cardinals.
Nine different Grizzlies (0-2) found their way onto the score sheet, but shooting woes plagued Franklin in the second half as Otterbein (1-0) pulled away to win 68-59.
How it Happened
The Grizzlies started off the game with the hot hand, knocking down four of their first seven field goals with three three-pointers and opened up a 13-4 lead with 13:33 to go in the opening frame. But the lead began to evaporate as the half wore on and a late surge from the Cardinals before the halftime buzzer put Otterbein up 34-26 after 20 minutes.
The host's lead ballooned to double figures early in the second half and they would hold a multi-possession lead the rest of the way. The closest the Grizzlies would get was within six at 51-45 with 7:05 to play, but they were unable to close the gap any further.
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin connected on 35.1% (20-for-57) of their field goals with the Cardinals shooting 43.1% on the night.
-The Grizzlies connected on just 4-of-21 threes, missing all 10 of their attempts in the second half.
-Franklin went 15-for-18 at the free throw line, with Nathaniel Hoffman knocking down all five of his attempts to lead the team.
-Rebounds were 39-29 in Otterbein's favor, with Cody Samples and Jalen Love tying for the team lead with six each.
-Carter Crowe led the Grizzlies with 10 points.
Up Next
Franklin wraps up their three-game road trip on Tuesday (Nov. 15) night, traveling to Greencastle, Ind. for a meeting with in-state foe DePauw. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
