ANDERSON, Ind. – The Franklin women's basketball team tipped off Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play on Wednesday (Dec. 4) night, taking on the Anderson Ravens in the finale of a four-game road trip.
 
The Grizzlies (4-2, 0-1 HCAC) were done in by a slow start and spent the rest of the night playing catch-up to the host Ravens (4-4, 1-1 HCAC). Franklin made several pushes throughout the game to take the lead, but a late-game comeback came up just short in a 91-86 Anderson win.
 
How it Happened
The Ravens jumped out to a 16-5 lead to start the game but Franklin closed the gap to a possession at the end of the first with a Taylor Cooney jumper that made it 24-21 after one quarter. Anderson rattled off a 12-3 run early in the second quarter to restore a double-digit lead but the Grizzlies clawed back to within a possession late in the half before heading into the break facing a 43-37 deficit.
 
The Grizzlies aimed to take their first lead of the night early in the third quarter but instead fell victim to a 14-1 Anderson run that gave the hosts their largest lead of the night at 61-45 with four minutes to go in the period. Franklin cut the Raven lead to one possession at 85-82 with a minute to play, but the Ravens held steady and closed out the win.
 
Inside the Box Score
-The Grizzlies struggled from the field, shooting 30.6% (26-for-85) from the floor and going 8-for-24 from deep.
-Franklin was aces at the line, knocking down 26-of-29 free throw attempts.
-Anderson knocked down 56.1% (32-for-57) of their attempts on the night, going 7-for-13 from three and 20-for-29 from the line.
-Erica Buening collected the second double-double of her freshman year, leading Franklin with 21 points and grabbing 11 boards.
-Taylor Cooney added 18 points and matched a career-high with 13 boards in her third career double-double.
-Jordan Coon added 15 points and nine rebounds with both Brooke Grinstead and Sabrina Miller chipping in with 10 points each.
-Franklin won the rebounding battle by a 49-39 count.
-The Grizzlies won the turnover battle by a 21-12 count.
-Maddie Barnes led the Grizzlies with five assists on the night.
 
Up Next
Franklin is back in the Spurlock Center on Saturday (Dec. 7) afternoon, hosting the Hanover Panthers in a big conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.