Thursday, February 14, 2013
by Dane Neumeister

Franklin College got a productive inside scoring attack, and hit key free throws late in the second half tonight, as they held off the Lions on Senior Night in the Harrington Center, 62-54. With the loss, the Mount goes to 3-21 overall, 2-15 in the HCAC and will conclude 2012-13 season play on Feb. 16 with a conference game at Anderson University.

The Lions trailed early against the Grizzlies, but battled back in the first half to tie the score at 17-all. Franklin forged ahead again, thanks in part to solid inside play, but led the Mount by only one point, at the half, 27-26. The Mount got eight points and four rebounds in the first half from lone senior Alex Donald (Litchfield, ME/Oak Hill), as Franklin shot 57 percent from the field. The Lions stayed in the game in the first half due to connecting on four-of-seven three-point shots, while Franklin was zero-for-one from long range. The Mount also forced 14 first half Franklin turnovers.

Franklin converted two free throws with 14:15 showing on the second half clock to push their advantage out to double-digits, 40-30, as the Lions' struggled from the field shooting the ball. The Mount got things together, however, offensively after that point, cutting the lead to six points, with 12:11 left in the game. Heidi McManus (Bethel, OH/Williamsburg) got the Lions to within one point of the lead, 47-46, when she hit a three-pointer with 7:38 to play. Franklin held off the Mount's late run at the lead by hitting nine-of-11 free throws in the game's final six-plus minutes, including six in a row with under 32 seconds to play. The Mount shot 30 percent from the field in the second half.

McManus led the Mount with 14 points, while Donald added nine points and five rebounds. Tara Dennis (Batavia, OH/Williamsburg) had eight points, a team-high seven rebounds, and a team-high three assists. Lions' teammates Rachel Blevins (Middletown, OH/Madison) chipped in nine points while Chelsea Castleberry (Hebron, KY/Conner) added eight points. Franklin had three players in double-figures. The Grizzlies won the rebounding battle, 35-24, but committted 23 turnovers to the Mount's 19 miscues.