The Franklin College women’s basketball team ended its season with a 68-55 loss to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the semifinals of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday at Bluffton University.
Rose-Hulman broke a 44-40 lead by opening the fourth quarter on a 17-8 run.
Franklin trailed 19-11 after the opening 10 minutes and scored the first 11 points of the second frame to take a 22-19 lead.
A 3-point field goal by Kayle Comer gave the Grizzlies the advantage with 7:15 left in the first half. Comer later connected on another three-point field goal to give Franklin a 28-24 lead at the 2:32 mark.
Rose-Hulman scored the final nine points of the first half to take a 33-28 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Rose-Hulman took a 44-30 lead with 2:38 left in the period after a layup by Chiarra Franklin. However, the Grizzlies answered with 10 consecutive points to conclude the quarter to trail by four points heading into the final 10 minutes.
Rose-Hulman started the fourth quarter with the 17-8 run over the first seven minutes of the period.
The Fightin’ Engineers outscored the Grizzlies 25-10 at the free throw line for the contest.
Junior Emily Alfrey recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Comer scored a team-high 14 points, while junior Lauren DeSutter scored 10 points.
Franklin posted a 19-8 record and the program’s eighth consecutive winning season.
