In a battle that would determine the stand-alone leader in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) standings, Franklin College topped the Anderson University men's basketball team in a 77-64 decision during Saturday's HCAC matchup in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
"This game has a really simple summary: the tougher team won," Coach Owen Handy said. "We have been a really good defensive team the past several games. We were not [on Saturday]. We started both halves with minimal defensive intensity, and we didn't have the discipline to move the ball on offense. We gave up three significant runs during this one. In the first half, we were down 20-8 to start the game, and got back to tied. In the second half, we gave up a 13-2 run to open the half and then got it back to three. Then we gave up a 19-3 run down the stretch of the game. Tough teams can't give up runs like that, and especially not three times during a game."
Franklin (8-4, 5-1) converted 27-of-57 (47.4 percent) shots from the field and 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) attempts from 3-point range. Anderson made 23-of-76 (30.3 percent) shots from the floor and 10-of-30 (33.3 percent) attempts from the perimeter.
The Grizzlies drained 20-of-21 (95.2 percent) shots from the free-throw line while the Ravens hit 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) attempts from the charity stripe.
Anderson held a 7-1 advantage on steals. The Grizzlies turned the ball over 13 times while the Ravens finished with just four turnovers. Anderson rolled to a 19-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
Austin Lyons led the Ravens with 16 points. Maurice Knight contributed 13 points and two blocks. Malik Laffoon provided 12 points. Ronny Williams tallied eight points and four assists. Jake Gudorf scored five points. Michael Rogers produced four points and seven rebounds. Larry Johnson, Tate Cooper and Riley Reutener rounded out the Anderson scoring effort with two points apiece.
"I obviously still believe in our team, but we've got to find a way to toughen up and play through mistakes and errors. Until we can do that, we are going to have a hard time in close games against really good teams."
As Franklin leads the HCAC, Anderson, Hanover College (10-3, 4-2) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (7-6, 4-2) are each one game out of the lead in a three-way tie for second.
Anderson is scheduled for two HCAC matchups on the road next week. The Ravens go head-to-head with Rose-Hulman on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Terre Haute. Anderson then battles with Bluffton University (7-6, 3-3) on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Bluffton, Ohio.
