FRANKLIN, Ind. - The Manchester men's basketball starts conference play 4-0 for the first time in 21 years after winning on the road against Franklin College on Saturday, December 10th. 

Franklin jumped ahead, getting an early 4-0 lead on MU, but the first half of Saturday's game saw an impressive shooting performance by the Spartans' offense. As a team, the Black and Gold shot 56.7% from the field and made six three-point shots. The Grizzlies would try to cut the deficit, but Manchester remained up at the half 45-31.

The Grizzlies cut the Spartans' lead to start the second half, but the Black and Gold were able to stretch the lead back to double-digits. Franklin would outscore Manchester 43-33 in the second half of play, but Spartans were able to maintain their lead, winning Saturday's contest 78-74. 

Manchester had five players scoring in double-digits during Saturday's contest. Logan Willoughby (Greenwood, Ind., Whiteland Community) led the Spartans with 22 points, Ty Lynas (Crawfordsville, Ind., Crawfordsville) finished with 20 points, shooting 85.7% (6-7) from three-point range. Quentez Columbus (South Bend, Ind., Adams) added 12 points while Bryant Smith (West Lafayette, Ind., Harrison) and Zach Sawyer (Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Watterson) each finished the night with 10 points. Sawyer would also pull down 10 rebounds, resulting in his first double-double of his collegiate career. As a team, the Black and Gold shot 48.3% (28-58) from field goal range, 45.0% (9-20) from beyond the three-point arc, and 72.2% (13-18) from the free throw line. The Spartans are now 4-4 overall. 

The Grizzlies were led by Trey Flatt who finished the game with 23 points. Lynn King had a double-double after scoring 15 points and pulling down 11 rebounds for Franklin. Carter Crowe also finished the day in double-digits with 11 points while Jack Hendricks added 10 points for the Grizzlies. As a team, Franklin shot 45.6% (26-57) from two-point range, 48.3% (14-29) from three-point range, and 61.5% (8-13) from the free throw line. With the loss, Franklin falls to 4-4, 1-1 HCAC. 

Up next, MU will host Hope College for a non-conference matchup on Saturday, December 17th. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in Stauffer-Wolfe Arena.