HANOVER, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team began their quest for a third straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament championship on Sunday (Feb. 19) afternoon, entering the field as the No. 6 seed and facing third-seeded Hanover in Collier Arena.
 
The two long time rivals battled for 40 minutes in a contest that saw seven lead changes and three ties. But the difference in the game proved to be the effectiveness behind the three-point line, with the Panthers (17-9) out-shooting Franklin (13-13) from deep to win 83-73.
 
How it Happened
The first 11 minutes of action saw all seven lead changes and the three ties and a Jalen Love triple with 9:10 to play in the first half had the two teams tied at 22. A 15-5 Hanover run gave the hosts their largest lead of the half but Franklin closed the first period strong with the final nine points that cut Hanover's lead to 37-34 at the break.
 
A 9-2 Panther run opened the second half but the Grizzlies refused to go away and got within one possession when a Carter Crowe three made it 46-43 with four minutes gone in the half. But another big Hanover run, this one a 15-4 run, gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the night at 61-47 with 10:30 to play.
 
The next five minutes saw Franklin claw back to within as little as six points, but the Panthers shut down any further comeback attempt before the final horn.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 53.7% (29-for-54) from the floor, going 9-for-19 from three and 6-for-11 from the line.
-Hanover knocked down 47.5% (28-for-59) of their field going, connecting on 13-of-30 threes and 14-of-20 free throws.
-Playing in the final game of his career, Crowe led the Grizzlies with 17 points.
-Jalen Love and Lynn King had 15 points each for Franklin and Jack Hendricks chipped in with 12 points off the bench.
-King led the Griz with nine boards and three assists.