TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team faced off with Rose-Hulman on Saturday (Jan. 18) afternoon in a meeting of two teams tied atop the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) standings.
The Grizzlies (12-4, 8-1 HCAC) made it six wins in a row and eight straight HCAC victories, collecting a 68-61 victory over the Engineers (10-6, 7-2 HCAC) to remain in a tie for the conference lead heading into round two of league play.
How it Happened
Franklin rattled off seven straight points to open the game as part of an 11-2 run that defined the opening five minutes of play. Momentum shifted over the next four minutes, with the Engineers going on a 16-2 run to take their first lead of the day. Rose pushed their lead to as many as seven before the end of the half, but their lead stood at just 33-31 when the teams broke for halftime.
The Grizzlies opened the second half with six straight points to re-take the lead, but the lead wouldn't last long and Rose fought back to take a 55-50 lead with 8:56 to play. The rest of the game was dominated by Franklin at both ends of the floor, with Franklin ripping off a 12-0 run to take a 62-55 lead with four minutes to go and the Grizzly defense holding the Engineers to just one field goal for the rest of the game.
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 47.8% (22-for-46) on the afternoon, going 7-for-15 from three and 17-for-20 from the line.
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Cody Samples led Franklin with 17 points and grabbed five boards.
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Malachi Archey came through with 15 big points off the bench, going 5-for-5 from the floor.
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Jessie Morgan III also hit double figures with 10 points.
-The Grizzlies held Rose to 40% (20-for-50) shooting and 29.6% (8-for-27) from three.
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Cooper Matthews led the Grizzlies with six rebounds.
-Franklin held a 30-12 edge on points in the paint.
-The win marks just the third for Franklin in Hulbert Arena since 2010. The Grizzlies' last road win over the Engineers came on Feb. 12, 2020.
Up Next
Round two of conference play begins on Wednesday (Jan. 22) night, with Franklin facing off against conference co-leader Anderson on the road. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
