The Hanover College men's basketball squad closed the regular season with a 60-47 victory against Franklin College in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference battle, Saturday, Feb. 21, in Franklin, IN.
The victory marked Hanover's 15th consecutive and raised the Panthers' record to 24-1 overall and 14-0 in the conference. The squad became the first HCAC team to win 14 league games in a season.
Franklin, which had won three of its last five outings, dropped to 14-11 overall and 6-8 in the conference.
Senior guard Thad McCracken (Heltonville, IN) led Hanover with 23 points. Junior forward Ryan Laning (Brookville, IN) and sophomore forward Ben Lye (Taylor Mill, KY) added 10 points apiece.
Senior guard Justin Castelli, junior guard Nick Scott and sophomore forward Nick Kane scored nine points each to pace Franklin.
Franklin never trailed in the first half. The Grizzlies led 28-23 in the opening seconds of the second half before Hanover made its move. McCracken, who netted 20 points in the second period, scored five points during an 11-0 run that pushed Hanover ahead 34-28 five minutes into the period. The Panthers bumped the margin to 41-32 with 11:47 remaining.
Franklin got within seven points (46-39) on a Scott field goal with 7:10 to go. Hanover answered with an 8-1 run that pushed the margin to 14 points (54-40) with 4:13 on the clock. The Grizzlies would get no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
Hanover outrebounded Franklin 30-25. Lye grabbed a game-high seven boards to lead the Panthers. He also handed out a game-best five assists.
Hanover is the second team in the Heartland Conference's 16-year history to go unbeaten in league play. Manchester College posted a 12-0 mark during its 1994-95 run to the NCAA III national championship game.
The Panthers will be the top seed in the HCAC tournament, which tips off Tuesday, Feb. 24. Hanover earned a first-round bye and will be idle until the semifinals, which will be played Friday, Feb. 27, in Collier Arena.
The tournament's championship game will be held in Collier Arena, Saturday, Feb. 28. The winner earns the HCAC's automatic berth in the national tourney.