BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Franklin women's basketball team bounced back in a big way on Saturday (Jan. 25) afternoon, claiming a 71-60 road win over the Bluffton Beavers to complete a season sweep of their conference rival.
 
Junior Jordan Coon came through with a team-high 23 points and Payton Seay notched the second double-double of her career with 12 points and a career-high 12 board as Franklin (13-5, 7-4 HCAC) pulled away late to complete the sweep of the Beavers (9-9, 3-8 HCAC).
 
How it Happened
Franklin carried a 13-11 lead into the second quarter thanks to a buzzer-beater layup from Coon at the end of the opening stanza. The Grizzlies would lead by as many as seven in the second quarter before a late charge from Bluffton put the hosts in front at the break, with a 10-0 Beaver run pushing the home side to a 32-29 lead at the intermission.
 
The Grizzlies grabbed control of the game mid-way through the third quarter, with a 12-3 Franklin run turning a slim Bluffton lead into a 45-39 Franklin lead with 3:17 to play in the period. Maddie Barnes gave the Grizzlies their first double-digit lead of the day with a triple that made it 49-39 with 2:32 to go in the frame, and Franklin headed into the fourth holding a 51-45 lead.
 
Bluffton cut the lead down to a point with six minutes to play, but eight straight Franklin points bumped the lead up to 62-53 with four minutes to play and Franklin held the Beavers at bay the rest of the contest.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin turned in an efficient shooting performance, knocking down 49.1% (28-for-57) of their shot attempts.
-Defensively, the Grizzlies limited Bluffton to 37.3% (22-for-59) from the floor and just 3-for-21 from deep.
-Coon was brilliant and showed a return to form, going 9-for-13 from the field with three three-pointers. The Grizzlies' leading scorer had been held to just six points over the previous three outings.
-Seay recorded her first double-double of the year and her first since a 23-point, 12-rebound outing against Anderson in December 2023.
-Barnes added 13 points and matched Coon for the team lead with a trio of threes.
-Rebounds were 37-34 in Franklin's favor.
-The Grizzlies turned the ball over a season-low eight times.
-Kate Breeden chipped in with a season-high eight points off the bench.
-Briley Munchel handed out a team-high five assists.
 
Up Next
Franklin wraps up their short road trip on Wednesday (Jan. 29) night, facing off with Rose-Hulman. Tip-off from Terre Haute, Ind. is set for 7:00 p.m.