BEREA, Ky. – The Franklin men's basketball team opened the Chris Hamilton Era on Tuesday (Nov. 8) night, taking on the Berea Mountaineers in the first of three straight on the road to open the season.
Shooting woes plagued the Grizzlies (0-1) for most of the night but Franklin still had a look at the game-tying basket in the final seconds. But the late comeback bid would come up one bucket short as Berea (1-0) held on for a 60-58 win.
How it Happened
Both teams struggled to knock down shots early, but Franklin would manage just three on 17 attempts in the game's first 11 minutes. The defense kept Berea in check and a 10-2 Grizzly run cut the host's lead to 19-18 with 4:32 to go in the half. The home side would flip the script and close out the first half with a 12-3 run to take a 31-21 lead into the break.
Franklin would cut the lead down to four at 45-41 with seven minutes to play but the offense dried up as the Mountaineers stretched the lead to 57-46 with 1:29 to go. With time slipping away, Franklin mounted a furious rally to get within a bucket with 12 seconds to go and they had a look at the tying basket with six second left after a Berea turnover. But the rally stopped there as shots from Cody Samples and Nathaniel Hoffman missed the mark before the final horn.
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 34.9% (22-for-63) from the floor, going 11-for-33 from three on the night.
-Carter Crowe led Franklin with 15 points and was joined in double figures by Trey Flatt with 11.
-Lynn King pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds
-Franklin held a 49-37 edge on the glass and held Berea to 35.9% (23-for-64) from the field.
-Turnovers played a critical role with Franklin committing 18 to Berea's 10. The Mountaineers held a 17-10 edge in points off mistakes.
-Hoffman was one of three Grizzlies making their career debuts on Tuesday night, with Malachi Archey and Zach Woodson joining him.
Up Next
Franklin is on the road on Friday (Nov. 11) night, heading to Ohio to take on the Otterbein Cardinals. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
