FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College women's basketball team took the floor on Saturday (Feb. 5) afternoon in search of their third straight win with a meeting against the Anderson Ravens.

The Grizzlies (7-12, 5-7 HCAC) led for all but 18 seconds of game time and never trailed, holding off a furious fourth quarter rally from the Ravens (9-11, 6-7 HCAC) in a 79-77 win.

How it Happened
Franklin took the lead on the game's first possession, scoring the game's first six points and forcing an early Anderson timeout. The home side went 7-for-14 from the field in the opening frame and held an 18-12 lead after 10 minutes. Franklin maintained a multiple possession lead throughout the second quarter, and held their biggest lead of the opening half at the break at 36-27.

The Grizzlies took their first double-digit lead of the night with 5:33 to go in the third quarter when Jessica Nix made it 43-33 at the free throw line. Anderson got within four a few minutes later, but the Grizzlies pushed their lead back to eight at the end of the third at 58-50.

A three-pointer from Sarah O'Day with 5:29 to play gave Franklin their biggest lead of the game at 72-59, but the Ravens fought to get the deficit back into single digits with under a minute to go. Freshman Maddie Barnes would close things out at the line, knocking down all six of her free throws in the final 32 seconds to seal the win.

Inside the Box Score
-The Grizzlies held the league's top three-point shooting team to just five three-pointers on 17 attempts on the afternoon. Franklin shot 42.6% (26-for-61) from the field with Anderson connecting on 44.3% (27-for-61) of their shot attempts.
-Destinee Cross and Kayla Bruner tied for the team lead with 15 points each. Nix added 14 for the Grizzlies and Barnes chipped in with 11.
-Rebounds were 40-35 in FC's favor and the Grizzlies' bench finished with a 28-5 edge over Anderson's bench.
-Libby Baker led Franklin with four assists and three steals and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Bruner and CiCi Bailey matched Baker for the team lead on the glass. 

Up Next
The Grizzlies begin a critical three-game road trip on Wednesday (Feb. 9) night, starting with a road matchup at Hanover. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.