ALTOONA, Pa - The Franciscan University Lady Barons lost a back and forth game to the Penn State Altoona with a final score of 58-64. Foul trouble sealed the Lady Baron's fate after sophomores Lacey Huck and Allyson Cooney fouled out late in the second half.

"It was a tough loss tonight," head coach Suzy Delaney said. "It was a close game throughout. We had a lot of focus, but couldn't close the game in our favor."

Delaney has stressed defensive consistency all season, and her team delivered against the Lady Lions. FUS had strong defensive play from sophomore Helen Raines and freshman Monica Dawyot, each recording four steals.

"Those girls have been very consistent and aggressive," Delaney said. "They're level of play is outstanding. Defense has been a major part of their game and they always look to make things happen."

Raines also gave a strong contribution on offense, scoring 12 points and adding 5 assists. Franciscan's two other leading scorers were Huck, with a team high 14 points, and junior Hannah Flannagan, who came off the bench to score 12 points and grab three offensive rebounds.

"Its so nice to have that kind of commitment off the bench," Delaney said. "It really gives our team a powerful dynamic."

FUS kept the game close throughout the first half. They only trailed by two at the break with a score of 26-24. The Lady Lions had a strong run to start the second half, and extend their lead but then Franciscan battled back.

"We got it going and had momentum," Delany said. "We battled through their scoring runs to bring the game back."

While Delany's girls were able to keep the score close, the Lady Lions were able to close the game through a stellar performance from the free throw. Penn State Altoona shot 81 percent from the charity stripe.

"We need to stay more focused to close the game out," Delaney said. "We have a young team, but the benefit of the second half of the season is that we get to play teams again. We will use our experience to our benefit to close out the season. We want to play consistent on both ends of the floor for forty minutes. If we do that, the wins will come."

The Lady Barons next opportunity to grab a win will be another away game against the Hilbert College Hawks on Jan 19 at 1pm.