RICHMOND, Indiana – Earlham College women's basketball struggled to find its shooting touch against a visiting Franklin College team that made the most of its scoring opportunities, and the Quakers fell to the Grizzlies, 85-61, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest on Saturday afternoon at the Druley Performance Center.

THE BASICS

Final Score: Franklin 85, Earlham 61
Location: Richmond, Indiana – Druley Performance Gym
Records: Earlham 4-13, 3-7 HCAC / Franklin 11-5, 7-3 HCAC

HOW IT HAPPENED

Earlham stayed with two possessions of Franklin throughout the first two quarters and held a lead as late as the 7:50 mark of the second quarter following a 3-pointer from Amy Weisner. A layup from Zoe Curtis at the 4:21 mark kept the Quakers with three, 29-26, but the Grizzlies extended their lead to as much as eight points before taking a six-point advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Franklin pulled away from Earlham in the third quarter on a 15-0 run, which ended with the Grizzlies holding a 55-36 lead with 2:39 remaining in the frame. Franklin's Britney Ballard seven points during the Grizzly surge. Franklin's lead peaked at 20 points, before the Grizzlies led by 17, 62-45, heading into the final stanza.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

The Maroon and White were held to 27.7 percent (18-of-65) shooting for the contest, while Franklin connected on 44.4 percent (28-of-63) of its attempts from the floor.

Shooting percentages aside, the two teams posted similar numbers across the boxscore, with Franklin charting an advantage in two areas. Franklin converted its 12 offensive rebounds – one fewer than Earlham's 13 offensive boards – into a 19-6 advantage in second-chance points. The Grizzlies also tallied 25 points off 14 Earlham turnovers, while Franklin's 15 giveaways yielded just seven points for the Quakers.

Junior Kayla Bowling paced Earlham with 16 points and eight rebounds, while first-year Trinity McClendon and senior Zoe Curtis each finished with 12 points. Junior Acacia Tenette dished out five assists.

Three Franklin players finished in double figures, led by Taylor McDaniel and Britney Ballard with 15 points each.

WHAT'S NEXT

Earlham women's basketball is at home again on Wednesday, Jan. 29, when it hosts Bluffton University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.