For the Daily Journal
In a game that had multiple twists and turns, the Franklin College men’s basketball team put its foot down in the end to defeat visiting Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Earlham, 76-68, on Saturday.
The Grizzlies (3-4, 1-2) jumped into the league win column for the first time this season after two disappointing setbacks to Defiance and Rose-Hulman.
Also on Saturday, the Franklin women struggled in the early going but finished with a flurry to defeat Earlham, 60-56.
The Franklin and Earlham men traded punches in the early going, but a three-point play by freshman Braxton Day and a 3-point shot by senior guard Trey Boles energized the Grizzlies, resulting in a 35-30 lead at the break.
The Grizzlies continued to get solid production down low from John Beineke. The junior center scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half, while senior guard Robbie Prather buried three long-distance 3-pointers.
With 13:34 to go in the second half, the Grizzlies got a timely burst of offense, pushing their lead to 54-37 on the superior guard play of senior Aaron Mann as well as Day and Prather.
Despite Earlham’s 41.7 percent shooting outside the arc (10-24), the Grizzlies were able to space things out and control the clock the rest of the way.
Franklin had four players score in double figures including Beineke. Prather finished with 13 points, while Day added 12 and Mann had 11 points in the win.
Beineke also had a team-high nine rebounds, while Mann and senior forward Brett McCory pulled down seven apiece. Six of McCory’s boards came on the offensive end.
In the women’s game, the Grizzlies (4-4, 2-1) shot only 20 percent from the field in the opening quarter — but the Quakers were only a tick better, making just 4 of 15.
Giving the Grizzlies the biggest lift in the first half was senior forward Sarah Taylor, who had 10 points and six rebounds.
Earlham (0-7, 0-3) outscored Franklin in the third period to take a 42-37 advantage, but after the Grizzlies forced a 46-46 tie, senior guard Lauren DeSutter hit a 3-pointer and Taylor controlled the inside and got to the free throw line to close things out.
Taylor and junior guard Riley Achenbach each finished with 12 points and DeSutter added 10.
