For the second straight week, Franklin women's basketball found itself in a wild conference road game with a chance to win.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, the law of averages went against them on Tuesday evening. After a spirited comeback over the last two minutes of regulation, Franklin fell victim to a late bucket in overtime and left with a 77-76 defeat.
It was the first setback in HCAC play for the Griz (6-3, 3-1).
The Grizzlies fell behind 48-41 after an 8-0 MSJ run late in the third quarter and still trailed, 68-60, with 1:51 remaining in the fourth.
Molly Schulte got the closing rally started with a pair of free throws at the 1:33 mark, and
Briley Munchel followed with a steal that led to a three-point play, cutting the deficit to a single possession. Following a defensive stop, Franklin called time with 18 seconds left to set up a play for the tie — and it paid off in the form of a 3-pointer from
Jordan Coon with nine seconds on the clock.
Mount St. Joe scored the go-ahead basket with 3.1 seconds left but then fouled Coon on a deep shot attempt at the buzzer to give the senior three free throws. Coon missed the first but sank the next two to extend the game.
In overtime, Coon scored first to put the Grizzlies up 72-70 before the Lions scored on back-to-back trips to pull ahead by a pair. Schulte tied it back up at 74-74 with two free throws and a
Payton Seay bucket in the paint gave the visitors a two-point edge with 1:13 to go. Franklin then forced a turnover but couldn't cash in, and MSJ got a three-point play at the other end with three seconds on the clock to pull back in front. A buzzer-beating shot for the win by Seay missed the mark, allowing the home team to escape with the win.
Coon scored a game-high 27 points in defeat for the Grizzlies and matched Schulte (18 points, 10-10 FT) at the defensive end with four steals as Franklin forced 20 turnovers. Seay contributed 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Next up for the Grizzlies is a trip to the Puerto Rico Clasico, where they'll face a Friday game against Wilson and a Sunday matinee against Milwaukee School of Engineering.
