RICHMOND, Ind. – The Franklin women's basketball team tipped off the new year with a return to conference play on Saturday (Jan. 4) afternoon, taking on the Earlham Quakers.
 
The Grizzlies (10-2, 4-1 HCAC) put on a defensive clinic, holding the Quakers (4-8, 0-5 HCAC) to 31.8% (21-for-66) shooting on the day to claim their sixth win in a row by a 76-60 score.
 
How it Happened
Facing an early deficit, the Grizzlies took command of the game with an 11-2 run to build a 14-8 lead by the first quarter media timeout. The Grizzlies led by as many as eight in the opening period before a late Earlham cut the Griz' lead to 22-17 after one.
 
The Quakers continued to chip away at Franklin's lead, getting within a point at 28-27 with seven minutes to go in the half. Franklin shut the comeback bid down with a 12-2 run to push their lead to double figures for the first time at 40-28, and would ride that momentum to a 42-34 lead at the break.
 
The third quarter saw Franklin's defense turn up the pressure and fluster Earlham's shooters, with the Quakers going 3-for-15 from the field in the period and the Grizzlies stretched the lead to 58-44 with 10 minutes to go. Franklin continued to hold a double figure edge over the final 10 minutes, taking their largest lead of the day when a Jordan Coon layup made it 71-50 with 4:24 to play.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 47.4% (27-for-57) from the floor, going 3-for-12 from deep and 19-for-26 from the line.
-Coon finished with a team-high 19 points, finishing with three steals and tying for the team lead with three assists.
-Erica Buening came just short of a double-double with 16 points and nine boards.
-Payton Seay added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
-Molly Schulte set a career-high with three blocked shots.
 
Up Next
Franklin is back on the road on Wednesday (Jan. 8) night, facing off with the Manchester Spartans. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.