FRANKLIN, Ind. — The Earlham College women's basketball team opened 2015 with a 56-43 loss on Saturday at Franklin College.

Kasin Spay, Hannah Franklin and Hannah Dyer led the Quakers in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game with nine points each.

Mariah led pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the Quakers. Spay and JaLissa Watt added six rebounds apiece. Franklin handed out three assists.

Neither squad scored early in the affair and the game was eventually tied at 7-7 when Dyer hit a 3-pointer at the 11:37 mark of the opening period.

The Grizzlies (6-4, 4-0), who are tied for first in the HCAC with Transylvania University (10-1, 4-0), build a 17-11 lead with 6:35 to go.

Earlham was able to answer when Maya Luney hit 1-of-2 free throws to cut the deficit to 19-17 at 3:21.

By the intermission, Franklin was on top 28-20.

The Quakers fought back in the second half as Spay scored to tie the game at 39-39 with 9:35 remaining.

However from that point, Franklin worked its way to the final margin with a 17-4 run.

The Quakers (3-8, 0-4) visit the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for a HCAC contest on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.