Franklin College men’s basketball juniors Aaron Mann and Robbie Prather each scored 20 or more points in an 84-79 loss at DePauw University on Tuesday evening.
Franklin (0-2) used a 10-5 run over the final 5:28 of the first half to trail the Tigers 38-37 at halftime. DePauw (1-0) made three 3-point field goals in the first two minutes of the second half to take a 46-39 lead.
The Grizzlies responded with seven straight points to tie the game at 46-all. Junior John Beineke made two layups before a 3-pointer by Prather during the stretch.
The teams battled back and forth, with the largest lead of three points for most of the second half.
DePauw took a 73-67 lead with 4:39 left after splitting a pair of free throws.
Franklin attempted a late rally, getting within two points on two occasions in the final minute.
Senior Matt Niehoff made a layup at the 3:13 mark before Mann connected on a 3-point field goal with 2:41 left. The basket brought Franklin within three points, 75-72. Later, Niehoff made a layup to cut the deficit to 78-76 with 1:04 left.
DePauw made five free throws to extend the lead to 83-76 with 11 seconds left. Mann made a 3-pointer with eight seconds left before the Tigers connected on one free throw for the five-point final margin.
Mann scored a season-high 26 points and had a team-high seven rebounds, while Prather added a career-high 22 points. Prather made all eight of his free-throw attempts. Beineke chipped in 10 points, while senior Trae Washington scored eight points.
Franklin returns to action tonight against visiting Centre College.
