RICHMOND, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team opened a pivotal five-game road trip with an important 73-67 win over the Earlham Quakers on Thursday (Jan. 26) night.
 
Three Grizzlies (12-6, 8-3 HCAC) finished the night in double figures and Franklin forced 17 Earlham (3-15, 2-9 HCAC) turnovers to record their fifth win in a row. Cody Samples topped all players with 16 points as Franklin recorded their first streak of five straight victories since 2019-20, when the Griz ripped off 10 wins in a row.
 
How it Happened
After falling into a 9-3 hole to start the game, Franklin rallied with an 14-4 run and took their first lead of the night on a pair of Lynn King free throws with 12:19 to play in the half. A 10-2 Earlham run followed to put the hosts back in front, but Franklin took the lead for good late in the first half, closing out the period with a 7-2 run to take a 33-29 lead into the break.
 
Franklin would lead the entire second half, but the Quakers kept the game within striking distance for the entirety of the final 20 minutes. Earlham cut the deficit to 55-51 with nine minutes to play, but Franklin held the hosts without a field goal for the next three minutes and expanded on their lead. Earlham wouldn't get within one possession the rest of the contest.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Samples went 5-for-8 from the floor, knocking down a pair of threes and four free throws to lead the Griz in scoring for the first time this year.
-Lynn King added 12 points and Carter Crowe had 10 to join their teammate in double figures.
-Franklin shot 44.8% (26-for-58) from the floor, going 9-for-24 from three.
-The Griz limited Earlham to 43.3% (29-for-67) from the field and 21.4% (6-for-28) from three.
-Franklin turned those 17 Earlham turnovers into 20 points while the Quakers netted 12 points off 15 Franklin turnovers.
-King led the Grizzlies with nine rebounds and five assists.
-Ryan Bostic set a new career-high with five steals.
-Jalen Love was tops among all players at a +15 in his 16 minutes of action.
 
Up Next
Franklin is back at it on Saturday (Jan. 28) afternoon, traveling to North Manchester, Ind. for a meeting with the Manchester Spartans with the two teams tied for second place in the HCAC. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.