STEUBENVILLE, OHIO- Franciscan University women's basketball lost to Geneva College 58-46 after a strong second-half comeback in an adversity-filled game.

In an unexpected turn of events, freshman RaRa Gomez was unable to return to FUS for the spring semester and starting guard, freshman Lauren Shaffer, was out with an injury. In the face of adversity, the Lady Barons welcomed sophomore Dani Link onto the team, filling the sixth spot on their already small roster.

"Every team goes through adversity and it's all about how you respond," head coach Suzy Delaney said. "Our girls are very determined. We are just going with what we have right now: injuries and a small lineup. This is our reality and we are figuring out how to move forward as a team."

The end of the first half saw Geneva in the lead, up 13 points, 34-21. FUS battled through with only one sub, repeatedly getting good looks but not making enough shots to get within reach of Geneva's lead. Coming back out for the second half, the Lady Barons stepped up their game.

"I was really pleased with how we made some adjustments at halftime," Delaney said. "The girls came out in the second half with a much stronger mentality, attacked on offense and made some adjustments on defense, which made for solid play."

Franciscan came together, within three points of Geneva with less than four minutes on the clock. Freshman Illiana Gonzalez put up a layup and brought the score to 47-44 at 3:42. Geneva responded with a three-pointer. With two minutes left, Link had a jump-shot to keep Franciscan afloat but Geneva followed with a layup and six free throws to seal in their win.

"It was a hard-fought game," Delaney said. "It wasn't really a 12 point game at the end, it was just those foul shots. We really came back and put ourselves in the position to win."

Though it was a loss for FUS, Delaney said that this non-conference game served its purpose–an opportunity to work on improvement as a team to prepare for the conference season. With only six players on the roster; four of them playing between 35-40 minutes, the Lady Barons showed their strength and willingness to play for the win.

Link had a solid performance for her first day on the court, with 10 boards and nine points. Gonzales performed well with nine boards and 13 points. Junior Lacey Huck led the team with 17 boards and 13 points. Delaney said the biggest strength, aside from how hard the entire team played for 40 minutes, was how aggressive offense was in attacking in the zone, especially in the second half.

"Only having six players, and one being brand-new, our girls answered and fought hard," Delaney said. "I was pleased with how we battled. It was our first game back and it was a little rusty, but what is what their non-conference games are for."

Moving forward, Delaney plans to take on the next game with the same determination.

"We are just going to continue to work on our game," Delaney said. "We have skilled players and our shots are going to fall. As new players come in, we had to adjust the chemistry of the team. People are playing in different roles and we have to be patient with that."

The Lady Barons play next against Bethany College in a non-conference away game at 7 pm on January 2.