STEUBENVILLE, Ohio—In its second game in two days, the Franciscan University women's basketball team lost to University of Pittsburg at Bradford 55-38. The Barons played a hard game, with another double-double for sophomore captain Lacey Huck.

The Lady Barons came out with a shaky start and did not score for the first four minutes of the game when sophomore Helen Raines nailed a three-pointer with an assist from Huck. The girls pulled to end the first half 29-25, just four points behind the Panthers.

“The Panthers took the lead right off the bat,” head coach Suzy Delaney said. “But we stuck with them and battled until the very end.”

Franciscan's defense played strong, trying to keep the opponents score low, yet the Lady Panthers' shots were falling with more consistency. In the second half, the Lady Barons' shooting percentage was 27%, a significant drop from the first half's 40%.

“The loss really came down to our lack of consistency with scoring,” Delaney said. “We didn't get to the line at all, which hurt us in the end.”

Although Huck had 16 points and 10 boards, and Helen Raines had 7 points and 4 assists, Franciscan's fouls throughout the game allowed the Lady Panthers to take a steady lead. With eight minutes left in the second half, the Barons were down by 3, with the Panthers leading 37-34. From the middle of the second half, Franciscan gave up 11 points from the foul line, surrendering their close trail of the Panthers.

“When it came down to the end, we just weren't able to finish,” Delaney said. “Over the past couple of weeks we've added and lost girls and changed positions. We played a good, solid team, and I'm happy with our defense and our efforts. We didn't stop shooting.”

Bradford closed the game with a 55-38 win.

“The girls have another chance to battle and play this Wednesday,” Delaney said. “No game is easy, but we're looking forward to it.  We will be focusing on the improvements we need to make for our upcoming games.”

Franciscan will play La Roche College, the top team in the Alleghany Mountain Collegiate Conference, this Wednesday, Jan. 9, at home at 6 p.m.