BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Franklin College women's basketball team continued a three-game road trip on Saturday (Feb. 12) afternoon, heading east for a matchup with the Bluffton Beavers.

The Grizzlies (7-14, 5-9 HCAC) mounted a late rally, but their fourth quarter comeback effort came up just short as the Beavers (16-6, 11-4 HCAC) held on for a 62-56 win.

How it Happened
Both teams struggled offensively early on before Franklin opened the scoring three minutes in with a Bayleigh Torrance three-point play followed by a Misti Kimberlin jumper. However, Bluffton answered with 14 straight points to take a 14-7 lead into the second period. The Grizzlies opened the second quarter with a 6-2 run to get within a possession, but the offense struggled late in the period and Bluffton took a 32-22 lead into the half.

The Beavers' lead grew to as many as 14 in the third period and Bluffton headed into the final quarter with a 49-39 lead. Franklin wasted no time chipping away at the Bluffton lead in the fourth, getting within a point with 4:46 to play and facing a 55-54 deficit with 3:33 to go after a Torrance jumper. But that was as close as the Grizzlies would get, as Franklin went scoreless over the final 2:56 of action.

Inside the Box Score
-Senior Destinee Cross the Franklin with 16 points with Torrance adding 12 off the bench.
-Franklin and Bluffton both shot 33.3% from the field in the game, but the Beavers held a sizeable advantage at the free throw line, shooting 27 free throws to 13 for FC.
-Rebounds were 47-44 in Franklin's favor. Jessica Nix led the team with nine board with Jasmine Walker pulling down eight.

Up Next
The Grizzlies get the final week of the regular season started on Tuesday (Feb. 15) night with a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio and a meeting with Mount St. Joseph in the final road game of the regular season. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.