Franklin, Ind. – Ashton Woodard scored 25 points and the No. 5/7 Transylvania women's basketball team battled back from a 17-point deficit to claim a 73-62 victory over the Franklin College Grizzlies at the Spurlock Center on Wednesday night.

With their 14th consecutive victory, the Pioneers move to 17-1 on the season and 11-0 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The loss drops the Grizzlies' record to 11-6 overall and 7-4 in league play.

Woodard's 25-point outburst was the senior's fourth 20-point performance over the past five games. Fellow senior Shelby Boyle added 12 points, four steals, three assists, and grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds in 38 minutes of action for Transylvania.  

The visitors opened the game on a brutal shooting slump. The Pioneers shot a dismal 26 percent from the field in the game's opening minutes, allowing the Grizzlies to claim a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Pioneers battled back with stifling play on the defensive side of the ball. Transylvania held Franklin to 22 percent shooting in the quarter and outscored the Grizzlies 20 to 12 to cut the halftime deficit to 35-32.

After being held scoreless in the first half, Boyle came storming back to score 10 points and grab four rebounds in the pivotal third quarter, an effort that handed the Pioneers a 54-50 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.

Leading 63-60 with just over three minutes remaining in the game, Pioneer sophomore Grace Shope knocked down her second three-point basket of the night to give the Pioneers a six-point lead. Shope scored 10 points and collected a career-high seven rebounds in the victory.

For the game, the Pioneers outrebounded the Grizzlies 61-38 and held a 24-10 advantage in second-chance points.

Up next for Transylvania is a road matchup against Defiance College Yellow Jackets on Saturday, February 1. Tip-off between the Pioneers and the Yellow Jackets is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Karl H. Weaner Center on the campus of Defiance.  

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