FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College men's basketball team used a dominant defense and balanced scoring attack to earn their second straight win, earning a 77-57 victory over Defiance College on Saturday (Dec. 8) afternoon inside Franklin's Spurlock Center.

The Grizzlies (3-5, 2-1 HCAC) limited the Yellow Jackets (0-7, 0-3 HCAC) to just 36.2 percent (21-for-58) from the field and forced 19 Defiance turnovers in the game. Four Grizzlies reached double figures on the offensive end as Franklin picked up consecutive wins for the first time this year.

"We defended really well and that allowed us to not only keep them off the scoreboard but get our offense out in transition," Head coach Kerry Prather said after the game. "The other key for us today is that we handled their press well. They have caused problems for teams this year because they get after it with their press and cause mistakes. We were patient without being passive and we were very unselfish today."

Defiance scored on the game's opening possession but Franklin would take a lead on their first trip down the floor thanks to a Kale Morris triple. The game remained tight for the majority of the first half and sat tied at 23 with 5:28 to go in the opening stanza, but Franklin closed out the half strong, out-scoring Defiance 14-4 to take a 37-27 lead into the break.

A 10-0 Defiance run early in the second half cut the Grizzly deficit down to three at 42-39 less than three minutes into the half. But that was as close as the Yellow Jackets would get the rest of the day, as Franklin went on a 16-2 run that lasted nearly 10 minutes, blowing the game wide open. The lead would grow to as many as 22 and never dip below 14 before the final horn sounded.

Sophomore Danny Goggans led all players with 16 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting performance. He was joined in double figures by the backcourt trio of Borden Kennedy (14), Kale Morris (13) and Jordan Anderson (10). The Grizzlies knocked down 47.6 percent (30-for-63) of their field goals while limiting Defiance to just 36.2 percent (21-for-58) from the field.

Franklin controlled the game on the glass, out-rebounding Defiance at a 43-34 clip. Sophomore Payton Mills led all players with eight rebounds, followed by seven from Bennie Patterson and six from both Goggans and Kyle Meyer.

The Grizzlies dominated the game in the paint, scoring 44 points inside while allowing just 12. Franklin also held advantages in points off turnovers (18-13), fast break points (16-4), second chance points (18-9) and bench points (26-20).

Next up for Franklin is final game of the opening round of conference play, which comes next Saturday (Dec. 15) afternoon when the Grizzlies hit the road to take on Bluffton University. Tip-off is set for approximately 4:00 p.m.