RICHMOND, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team hit the road for the start of a two-game road swing, taking on the Earlham Quakers on the afternoon of New Year's Eve.
 
Staring at a double-digit first half deficit, the Grizzlies (7-4, 3-1 HCAC) relied on a suffocating defensive effort to claw back into the game and take down the Quakers (1-10, 0-4 HCAC) 63-54.
 
How it Happened
Franklin jumped out to a 10-4 lead early before an 11-0 Earlham run put the home side up 15-10 with eight minutes gone in the first half. Franklin struggled to get the offense going and trailed by 12 with three minutes to go in the opening half, but the Griz closed out the opening period with a 7-1 run to get within 32-26 come halftime.
 
The halftime break ended up being just what the Grizzlies needed, as they ripped off a 10-2 run early in the second half to take a 36-34 lead with 16 minutes to play. Cody Samples canned a three with 9:50 to go to put the Grizzlies up 43-40 and the team never trailed the rest of the way. In total, Franklin held Earlham to just 28.6% shooting in the second half to fuel the comeback win.
 
Inside the Box Score
-All five Franklin starters reached double figure point totals with Carter Crowe, Trey Flatt and Samples finishing with 11 points each.
-Lynn King recorded the second double-double of his season, adding 10 points and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.
-Ryan Bostic made the first start of his career, finishing with 10 points.
-The Grizzlies shot 40.7% (22-for-54) from the field, going 6-for-18 from three and 13-for-19 from the line.
 
Up Next
The Grizzlies travel to Terre Haute, Ind. on Wednesday (Jan. 4) night for a meeting with the Engineers of Rose-Hulman. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.