DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Franklin College men's basketball team began the defense of their Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament championship on Sunday (Feb. 20) afternoon, with the sixth-seeded Grizzlies meeting third-seeded Defiance in the tournament quarterfinals.

A pair of freshmen turned in career afternoons for the Grizzlies (12-14), with Lynn King and Trey Flatt setting new career highs with 20 and 17 points, respectively. It was enough to push the Grizzlies into the semifinals with an 81-69 win over the Yellow Jackets.

How it Happened
Franklin grabbed the lead 1:11 into the game and never let it go, opening the contest with a 13-2 run through seven minutes of action. Defiance fought to get within seven points at 16-9 with 8:43 to go in the half, but a strong close to the opening period sent the visitors into the locker room with a 34-20 lead. Defensively, the Grizzlies limited Defiance to 8-for-25 from the floor in the opening half.

The lead stayed in double figures for the bulk of the second half and grew to as many as 19 points before the final horn sounded. Franklin's offense was an efficient machine over the final 20 minutes, with the Griz going 15-for-27 from the floor, 6-of-9 from three and 11-for-15 from the line.

Inside the Box Score
-King went 6-for-8 from the field and the free throw line, blowing past his previous season high point total of 11.
-Flatt knocked down a team-high four threes, with the Grizzlies hitting 11 long balls on the afternoon.
-Carter Crowe added 16 points and five assists while playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his career. Crowe carried the scoring load for Franklin in the second half, netting 14 points over the final 20 minutes.
-Cody Samples added 11 points, burying three three-pointers.
-Rebounds were 40-23 in Franklin's favor, with Matt Krause vacuuming up a game-high 16 boards.

Up Next
Franklin advances to the semifinals of the HCAC Tournament, where they will meet second-seeded Rose-Hulman next Friday (Feb. 25) night. A start time will be announced on Monday.