Lady Barons Overcome by Penn State-Altoona

By Dylan Ehle

The Lady Barons basketball team of Franciscan University of Steubenville hosted Penn State-Altoona on Wednesday night, losing 55-28.  With the loss, the Lady Barons fell to 0-5 (0-2) on the season.

The Lady Barons played solid defense in the first half, and held a 5-4 lead entering the closing minutes.  However, Penn State-Altoona got on a scoring run at the half's close, taking a 17-12 advantage into the locker room.  In the second half, the Lady Barons were overcome by Altoona's full court press, and they accumulated many turnovers which converted into fast break points for their opponents.  As a result, Penn State-Altoona outscored Franciscan 38-16 in the second half en route to their 55-28 victory.

Jess Belleque was the offensive standout for the Lady Barons on the night, registering 6 points.  Cara Mitchell had 5 points, while Jordan Henneberry and Marian Weber had 4 apiece. 

The Lady Barons shot just 20.4% from the field for the night, compared to Penn State-Altoona's 38.9%.  The Lady Barons shot 38.9% from the foul line, and registered 17 steals on the night.

"The first half went extremely well for us, and we were really able to play our game," Lady Barons coach Kelly Herrmann remarked.  "We slowed the game down and created defensive pressure.  However, their speed got to us in the second half, and they forced multiple turnovers, and that's what allowed them to get up by so much."

The Lady Barons' next contest is this Friday at D'Youville College  at 6 p.m.