FRANKLIN – The Franklin men's basketball team welcomed the Earlham Quakers to the Spurlock Center on Saturday (Feb. 1) afternoon for game two of a four-game homestand.
 
The Grizzlies (14-6, 10-3 HCAC) got all they could handle from the Quakers (1-19, 1-12 HCAC), with Franklin needing a late three-point play to send the game to extra time. Overtime would see the hosts shut down Earlham's upset bid, with the Grizzlies hanging on for an 89-84 victory.
 
How it Happened
Franklin got off to a fast start on the offensive end and opened up what would be their largest lead of the game at 14-5 following a Ryan Bostic layup with 14:53 to go in the first half. But the host's offense dried up over the next seven minutes while Earlham caught fire, and a 16-4 Quaker run flipped the game in Earlham's favor at 21-18 with eight minutes to go before the break.
 
Every Franklin attempt to re-take the lead before the break was beaten back by Earlham, with the Quakers holding a 40-32 lead come the halftime intermission. Despite 10 first half turnovers, Earlham took their lead into the break on the strength of a 12-for-19 shooting performance and a perfect 5-for-5 effort from three.
 
Earlham's lead grew to a game-high 11 points early in the second half, but Franklin fought back re-claimed the lead with 12:42 left in the second half when a Cooper Matthews layup made it 48-47. But another big Earlham response followed and Franklin was staring down a 62-53 deficit at the eight-minute media timeout.
 
Another Franklin surge put the hosts back in front, with Malachi Archey knocking down the Grizzlies' first three of the game with 3:17 to play to make it 66-64 Griz. But six straight Earlham points followed and Franklin was in dire trouble, facing a 73-68 deficit with 42 seconds to go.
 
Two Cody Samples free throws cut the deficit to three and after forcing a turnover on Earlham's next possession, Franklin got back to level when Braden Flanagan split the Earlham defense for a three-point play, tying the game at 73 and sending it to overtime.
 
Down 81-78 with two minutes left in extra time, Samples brought the game even again with a three-point play and the senior guard put the nail in the coffin with a long three-pointer with 37 seconds to go, making it 85-81 Grizzlies. Samples finished off overtime with four straight free throws, capping his best offensive outing of the year and sealing the win.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 47.2% (34-for-72) from the field on the night.
-Earlham connected on 53.2% (25-for-47) of their field goals, going 10-for-17 from three and 24-for-30 from the line.
-Samples finished with a team-high 26 points, going 8-for-16 from the field and knocking down all nine of his free throw attempts. The senior guard also led the Grizzlies with six boards and five steals.
-Flanagan and Matthews each added 17 points and Jessie Morgan III chipped in with 16 points.
-Rebounds were 35-31 in Earlham's favor.
-Franklin kept the Quakers in arm's reach by forcing 26 turnovers while committing only 10.
-The Grizzlies dominated the game down low, scoring 60 points in the paint.
-Saturday's game was the first time the Spurlock Center has seen bonus basketball since Dec. 16, 2017 when Franklin and Bluffton went to overtime.
 
Up Next
Franklin continues their homestand on Wednesday (Feb. 5) night, welcoming the Mount St. Joseph Lions to the Spurlock Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.