Franklin, Ind. - The Franklin College women's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament with a 51-42 victory over Defiance College on Wednesday at the Spurlock Center.

The Grizzlies, the tournament's No. 3 seed, controlled the glass by outrebounding Defiance 48-34 in the contest. Franklin (19-7) held the Yellow Jackets to 23.1 percent shooting (12-of-52) and 12.5 percent on three-point field goal attempts (3-of-24).

Junior Emily Alfrey (Fairland, Ind./Triton Central) led the Grizzlies with 12 points. Senior Katie Brewer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Kelsey Smith (Lexington, Ind./Scottsburg) added seven points and four rebounds in the victory.

Franklin took a 26-20 halftime advantage after limiting Defiance to 16 percent shooting. The Yellow Jackets scored 11 of their 20 first-half points at the free throw line.

In the second half, Franklin stretched its lead to 10 points, 34-24, following a layup by Smith with 6:38 left in the third quarter. A pair of free throws by freshman Maddie O'Day (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) put Franklin ahead 38-26 at the 2:36 mark of the third quarter.

Later, the Grizzlies took a 46-31 advantage midway through the fourth quarter on a layup by Smith. Two three-point field goals by Defiance's Erica Smay in the final 1:10 of the contest trimmed the score to the final nine-point margin.

Franklin advances to face No. 2 seed Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Friday, February 26, at 8 p.m. from Bluffton University. The tournament's championship game will also take place at Bluffton on Saturday, February 27.