SEWANEE, Tenn. - The Franklin women's basketball team brought their non-conference schedule to a close on Monday (Dec. 30) afternoon, taking on Centre College as part of the final day of the Sewanee Classic. 

In a meeting of the invitational's day one winners, Franklin (9-2) bested the Colonels (9-4) by a 65-59 score, holding off a late charge from Centre to win their fifth game in a row. It marks the longest stretch without a defeat for the Grizzlies since Feb. 8-25, 2020, when Franklin registered a six-game winning streak. 

How it Happened
Franklin ripped off 10 straight points to open the game, with eight coming courtesy of Jordan Coon. The Grizzlies stretched their lead to as many as 12 in the opening period, but a late push from Centre cut the Grizzlies' lead to 25-18 after one quarter. A three-point play from Centre got the scoring started in the second period and would be as close as Centre would get the rest of the half, as Franklin streaked out to a 41-27 lead at the half, their largest of the game to that point. 

The lead stayed in double figures for the entirety of the third quarter, growing to its largest of the day at 16 points early in the second half. Facing a 54-42 deficit to start the fourth quarter, the Colonels wasted no time making a push to get back in the game and thanks to a 13-3 run, Franklin's lead was down to 57-55 with 1:55 to play. But the Grizzlies shook off their tough start to the quarter in the final two minutes, and a three-point play from Maddie Barnes with 53 seconds to go restored a two-possession lead at 60-55. Molly Schulte went 5-for-6 from the line over the final 32 seconds to clinch the win for Franklin. 

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 43.4% (23-for-53) from the floor, going 4-for-12 from three and a sparkling 15-for-18 from the line. 
-Coon led all players with 17 points, finishing the weekend averaging 22.0 per contest.
-Taylor Cooney made it back-to-back double-doubles with 15 points and 10 rebounds, giving her four double-doubles for the year. 
-Schulte set a career-high with 11 points, knocking down nine of her 10 free throws in the game. 
-Defensively, Franklin held Centre to 40.6% (26-for-64) from the field and 2-for-14 from three.

Up Next
The Grizzlies turn their attention back to conference play, starting this Saturday (Jan. 4) with a road game against the Earlham Quakers. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.