Box Score Franklin women's basketball let a lead slip away in the first half. It made sure to avoid a repeat in the second.

The Grizzlies dominated the third and fourth quarters, pulling away for an 81-65 victory over third-seeded Anderson in the semifinal round of the HCAC tournament at Transylvania on Friday afternoon.

"Basketball is a game of runs," Griz coach Ashley Blanch said. "Thankfully, we were able to find our rhythm with stops and buckets in the second half."

With the win, No. 2 seed Franklin (21-6) earns a rubber match with the top-seeded host team in Saturday's 3 p.m. championship game. The two teams split their regular-season meetings, with the home side winning each.

The Grizzlies built a seven-point advantage early in the second quarter, opening the period with a 9-2 spurt, before Anderson closed with a late run to take a 37-35 edge into halftime. Franklin asserted itself after the intermission, however, shooting 58.8% (10 of 17) in the third quarter while outscoring the Ravens 22-12 to take a lead it never relinquished. the team scored the last seven points of the quarter on a Jordan Coon jumper, a Molly Schulte layup and a Coon 3-pointer, making it 57-49.

Another 10-0 run early in the fourth, punctuated by another Coon 3, grew the lead to 67-53 and the Grizzlies put the finishing touches on a convincing win from there.

Coon scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the Griz, adding eight rebounds; Schulte finished with 17 points and Payton Seay 16. Briley Munchel totaled 15 points, five assists and four steals while Kate Breeden rounded out a productive starting five with seven points and 11 boards.

Next up, Franklin faces the task of trying to dethrone the Pioneers, who have won seven straight conference tournament championships and have not lost a conference game on their home floor since Dec. 9, 2017.