NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Manchester men's basketball team battled Franklin College for sole possession of second place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) on Saturday, January 28. The Spartans downed the Grizzlies 80-67. 

The Black and Gold jumped out to a 17-3 lead to start Saturday's game, holding the Grizzlies to one field goal over the first 6:30 of play. The Spartans would lead by as many as 20 in the opening half and enter into halftime with a 39-26 lead. 

A second-half surge by Franklin would cut the deficit to seven points with 3:11 left to play in Saturday's contest. The Spartans would answer and hang on to win their fifth-straight game 80-67.
 
Four Spartans scored in double digits during Saturday's contest. Zach Sawyer (Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Watterson) led the Black and Gold with 18 points, 5 steals, and 6 assists. Logan Willoughby (Greenwood, Ind., Whiteland Community) added 17 points, shooting 4-6 from three-point range. Bryant Smith (West Lafayette, Ind., Harrison) chipped in 15 points, while Ty Lynas (Crawfordsville, Ind., Crawfordsville) added 10 points. Coy Hampton (Park Forest, Ill., Crete Monee) finished the afternoon with a career-high 12 rebounds and team-high 2 blocks for MU. As a team, Manchester shot 44.1% from the field and 76.9% from the free throw line. 

Leading the way for the Grizzlies was Cody Sample with 13 points and Trey Flatt with 10 points. Logan Huggins had a team-high 6 rebounds for Franklin. As a team, the Grizzlies shot 42.3% from the field and 55.6% from the free throw line. 

Up next, the Black and Gold will travel to Defiance College to take on the Yellow Jackets in HCAC play. In their previous matchup this season, the Spartans defeated the Yellow Jackets 86-76. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 on Wednesday, February 1 in Defiance, Ohio.