ALTOONA, Pa.—The Lady Barons basketball team hit a dry spell on the road Wednesday night, defeated 52-69 by the Penn State Altoona Lions. This drops Franciscan University to 1-6 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and 2-10 overall on the season.

"We really had a good first half," noted head coach Luke Heusel. "And we came out nice in the second half. We are trying to manage the changes in tempo that occur on the court, and we're suffering a little drought on the offensive end."

The Lady Barons initially set the tempo for the game, leading for the first five minutes before the Lions offense took control. Penn State's Marissa Chapman tallied in the double-digits at 14 points in just the first half, while the Lions defense shutout typical Franciscan high scorers Christine Conrad and Molly Coogan.

"In the second half we had some turnovers that Penn State turned into buckets. We could have made some too, but they did and we didn't," said Heusel. Penn State Altoona garnered 17 points off turnovers opposed to Franciscan's four. "We got hurt by these turnovers and fell behind their momentum," he added.

"We are continuing to battle," Heusel continued, "and I was pleased with the first half. We are just trying to put together those allusive two halves."

Freshman Hannah Flanagan was the only Lady Barons to total double-digit points on the night, adding 11 for Franciscan off the bench. Point guard Christine Conrad contributed nine points, six rebounds, and three assists, while senior captain Caitlin Donovan added seven points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Franciscan's young team will focus on breaking its offensive dry spell this Saturday, January 15, when the Lady Barons host the AMCC's number four team, Penn State Behrend. Game time begins at 2 p.m.