BOX SCORE
FRANKLIN, Ind. - A 9-2 Franklin run in the final 8:29 gave the Grizzlies a 41-36 victory over the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology women's basketball team in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) action on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
The Engineers got off to an 11-2 run to begin the game capped by a three-pointer from sophomore Kristen Belyea. Franklin would cut Rose-Hulman's lead to four points, but two free throws from sophomore Jamie Loving gave the Engineers a 21-15 halftime lead.
Franklin began chipping away at the deficit and eventually tied the contest 29-29 with 11:29 to play in regulation. Rose-Hulman scored the game's next four points, but the Grizzlies responded with three points of their own to pull within a single point at 33-32.
Sophomore Abbie Marshall split a pair of free throws with 8:29 remaining. The Engineers would not score again until junior Carrie Morris hit two free throws with a minute to play.
Morris, Belyea, Loving, and senior Gracie Gibbs all scored six points to lead Rose-Hulman offensively. Gibbs also grabbed 11 rebounds.
Nicole Thompson and Lindsey Dall led Franklin with nine and eight points respectively.
As a team, Rose-Hulman shot 28.9 percent (13-45) from the field while Franklin connected on 32 percent (16-50) of its shots in the battle of two of the HCAC's top defensive teams. The Engineers hled a 42-35 rebounding edge, but committed 16 turnovers. Both teams connected on seven free throws.
With the loss, Rose-Hulman dips to 12-12 on the season including an 8-9 mark in HCAC competition. The Engineers are still alive for the No. 6 seed in the HCAC Tournament, and clinch that seed with a victory on Saturday.
The Engineers conclude their regular season on Saturday, Feb. 21, when the Lions of Mount St. Joseph come to Hulbert Arena. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. The game will honor seniors Gracie Gibbs, Sheree Williams, and Emily Fuhs.
