TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team brought the regular season to a close on Friday (Feb. 16) night, taking on the Rose-Hulman Engineers.
 
Down by as many as 18 in the game, the Grizzlies (12-13, 10-8 HCAC) charged all the way back and had a look to tie in the final seconds. But their comeback bid wasn't meant to be, as the Engineers (12-13, 10-8 HCAC) held on for a 68-66 win.
 
How it Happened
The opening half was all Engineers, as the hosts raced out to a 39-23 halftime lead with Franklin connecting on just eight first half field goals. Franklin began to chip away as soon as the second half began, and Franklin found themselves down by a score at 59-56 with 5:49 to go in the game.
 
Down by two with the ball and 12 seconds on the clock, Franklin had two looks at the game-tying bucket, but a Jack Hendricks jumper and Jessie Morgan follow-up on the miss both rattled out as the final horn sounded.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Morgan was stellar down low for the Grizzlies, leading the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
-Ryan Bostic added 16 points for Franklin.
-The Grizzlies shot 48.1% (25-for-52) from the field, going 7-for-18 from three and 9-for-11 from the line.
-Defensively, Franklin limited Rose to 43.9% (25-for-57) from the floor.
-Rebounds were 33-31 in Franklin's favor.
 
Up Next
Franklin tips off the 2024 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament on Sunday (Feb. 18) afternoon. The Grizzlies will enter as the #5 seed and will travel to #4 seed Manchester, with tip-off set for 4:00 p.m.