HANOVER, Ind. – Paced by a career night from junior Ryan Wiggins and a dominant second half performance, the Franklin College men's basketball team earned the right to play for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament championship for the second straight year.

Wiggins netted a career-high 25 points for the sixth-seeded Grizzlies (13-14), who dominated second-seeded Rose-Hulman (15-10) in the second half to win 73-54 and advance to the conference title game.

How it Happened
Wiggins started with the hot hand and never let up, scoring eight of Franklin's first 10 points in the opening four minutes. Franklin held the lead or sat tied until the 10:35 mark in the opening half, when a Terry Hicks bucket gave the Engineers a 21-20 lead. The rest of the first half saw both sides fight for every basket, and the Grizzlies headed into the locker room facing a 33-29 deficit.

The Engineers held the lead until the 13:52 mark, when a Carter Crowe three put the Grizzlies ahead for good at 41-39. Franklin smothered the Engineer offense throughout the second half, closing out the contest with a 20-5 run to emphatically punch their ticket to the title game.

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin knocked down 51.8% (27-for-52) of their shot attempts, burying 12 three-pointers in total.
-Wiggins recorded his second career double-double, adding 12 rebounds to go with his game-high point total.
-Joining Wiggins in double figures was senior Matt Krause and junior Carter Crowe, who added 17 and 14 points, respectively.
-Defensively, the Grizzlies shut down the Engineer offense over the final 20 minutes, with Rose going 7-for-36 and 2-for-15 from three. Rose shot 29.9% (20-for-67)
-Franklin will make their second straight appearance in the HCAC championship game, doing so in back-to-back year for the first time since 2008 and 2009.

Up Next
The Grizzlies will meet tournament host and top-seeded Hanover on Saturday (Feb. 26) night, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from Collier Arena is set for 6:00 p.m.