FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Earlham College men's basketball team won its first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) contest of the season on Saturday, coming from behind to defeat Franklin College 76-72 on the road.

Trailing 68-60 with 7:08 to play, Earlham went on a 10-3 run over the next five minutes to get within a single point, 71-70. Neither team would score on its next three possessions. After a missed three-pointer from Franklin, the Quakers' called timeout with 28 seconds to play. Out of the timeout, sophomore Elijah Wilson-Thomas connected on a runner in the lane, giving Earlham a 72-71 advantage.

The Quakers forced a stop on the Grizzlies' next possession, and Wilson-Thomas converted two free throws putting Earlham up by three. Rather than risk a game-tying shot, the Quakers elected to foul. Franklin's Trey Washington hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Earlham then successfully inbounded the ball for the victory.

Senior Taylen Alexander led all scorers with a season-high 26 points on 11-22 shooting. The Champaign, Ill., native also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out three assists. Wilson-Thomas added 15 points and six rebounds off of the bench.

Washington led the Grizzlies in defeated with 22 points. Aaron Mann, the HCAC's leader in scoring, added 19 points.

The entire first half was played within a nine-point window. Earlham's largest lead came at the 15:44 mark when senior Taylen Alexander hit a layup to put the Quakers up 10-6. Franklin's largest advantage came when Blake Oakley made a layup to put the Grizzlies up 33-28 with 4:02 to play in the first half.

Both team shot above 45 percent for the game. Franklin hit 17-33 field goals in the first half, but Quaker defense clamped down in the final 20 minutes, allowing the Grizzlies to hit just 9-17 shots from the field.

Earlham won the rebounding battle 37-33 while also committing only nine turnovers as a team.

The Quakers look for their second consecutive win on Wednesday against Defiance. Tip-off from Schuckman Court is slated for 7:30 p.m.