ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For the first time since 2000, the Franklin men's basketball team is advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after winning an overtime thriller against Denison University.
 
The Grizzlies (22-7) dug in on defense all night long, no more than in the final possessions of regulation and overtime to knock off the Big Red (24-4) by a 67-64 score. It marks the fourth NCAA Tournament win in program history and the first since an 81-50 blowout of Webster back in the 2000 tournament.
 
How it Happened
Franklin's defense took over the game for the majority of the first half, at one point holding the Big Red without a point for a seven-minute stretch, but the Denison defense also held their own and limited Franklin's lead to 16-8 with eight minutes to go in the first half. Both offenses came alive before the halftime break, with Denison storming back to take a 31-27 lead when the teams headed into the locker room.
 
Denison wasted no time extending their lead in the second half and would lead by a game-high 11 points at 53-42 with 8:49 to go in regulation. But once again, Franklin's defense came up big down the stretch, holding Denison to just two field goals and six points for the rest of regulation. Cody Samples tied the game at 59 with 16 seconds left and Franklin's defense forced an off-balance attempt at a game-winner, sending the game to overtime.
 
The teams traded free throws early in overtime and the Grizzlies got back-to-back give-and-go layups from Malachi Archey and Jessie Morgan III to take a 66-63 lead with two minutes to play. Each team would net just one free throw the rest of the game and when Denison had the ball with 10 seconds to go, looking for a game-tying basket, Franklin's defense shut down any good look and Dylan Beverly picked off a pass to seal the victory.
 
Inside the Box Score
-The Grizzlies shot 45.8% (27-for-59) from the floor while holding Denison to 40% (20-for-50) on the night.
-Cooper Matthews finished with a game-high 18 points in his first NCAA Tournament game.
-Samples and Morgan also finished in double figures with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
-Rebounds were 36-33 in Denison's favor, with Morgan and Lynn King pulling down six boards each to lead the team.
-Franklin dominated in the turnover battle, winning 19-11 and out-scoring Denison 22-11 off mistakes.
-The Grizzlies finished with a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint.
-Friday night's game marked the first ever meeting between the two programs.
 
Up Next
Franklin will play for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Saturday (Mar. 8) night, facing off against either host WashU or Central (IA). Tip-off from St. Louis is set for 7:40 p.m. eastern time.