FRANKLIN – The Franklin men's basketball team hosted their penultimate home game of the regular season on Wednesday (Feb. 5) night, welcoming the Mount St. Joseph Lions to the Spurlock Center.
 
The Grizzlies (15-6, 11-3 HCAC) never trailed on the night, opening the game with a 27-5 run and withstanding a furious second half charge from the Lions (10-11, 6-8 HCAC) to earn a 73-61 win and complete a season sweep of their league rival.
 
How it Happened
It was all Franklin in the early stages of the game, with the home side limiting the Lions to just two field goals in the first 12 minutes as they built what would be their biggest lead of the evening. The Grizzlies remained in control for the rest of the first half, taking a 40-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Franklin kept a double-digit lead until the Lions caught fire from behind the three-point line early in the second half. The Mount slashed a 17-point Franklin lead down to one at 48-47 with 10:56 to play, drilling a triple on six consecutive possessions to get back in the game. With their lead in peril, Franklin punched back with nine straight points, restoring a double-digit lead at 57-47 with 7:41 to play.
 
That 9-0 run took all the wind out of the Lions' comeback bid, as The Mount would go cold from the field the rest of the night and allow the Grizzlies to keep their lead in double figures up until the final horn.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot an efficient 54% (27-for-50) from the field, going 8-for-19 from three and 11-for-15 from the line.
-Defensively, the Grizzlies held the Lions to 40% (22-for-55) shooting with the Mount going 12-for-33 from deep.
-Cooper Matthews turned in a team-high 18 points and pulled down six rebounds.
-Cody Samples and Braylon Russell joined their teammate in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
-Rebounds were 39-22 in Franklin's favor, with Lynn King pulling down a game-high 11 boards.
 
Up Next
The Grizzlies play in front of their home crowd for the final time in the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 8), hosting Berea College. The program will also honor their seven seniors before the start of the game, with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m.