STEUBENVILLE, Ohio—Franciscan University's women's basketball team fell to Medaille College 60-46 after holding a three-point lead at halftime. Shooting worse from the floor in the second half than in the first half, Franciscan struggled to keep up with Medaille towards the end of the second half.

The second best team in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, Medaille dominated in boards throughout both the first and second half, grabbing fifty-nine rebounds while Franciscan only took twenty-five overall.

“We played solid defense, but Medaille took too many of the rebounds,” head coach Suzy Delaney said. “They had so many second looks and second chances to make their shots.”

Franciscan lead the first half 26-23 after a solid defensive effort. Junior guard Hannah Flanagan had four three-pointers from all over the floor, nailing two each half and contributing 14 points. Despite Medaille's efforts to get ahead before the half with a full court press, Franciscan kept possession, giving up only four turnovers while Medaille lost twelve in the first half.

“We stayed ahead in the first half with Hannah's best shooting effort of the season,” Delaney said. “But we came out flat in the second half while Medaille came out stronger. We knew that as a veteran team they would come back aggressively.”

Three minutes into the second half, sophomore guard Helen Raines swished her free-throw shots to even the score at 28-28. As Medaille started to take more shots, Franciscan struggled to get rebounds.

“Helen made shots in the second half when we needed them most,” Delaney said. “But our rebounding needs to be consistent.”

With sophomore forward Lacey Huck and Raines, Franciscan's leading scorers, on the bench with four fouls a piece, Medaille gained a ten-point lead with ten minutes left. Although Huck and Raines came back in to knock down three three-pointers in the last four minutes of the second half, Medaille finished the game on top, 60-46.

Having lost to Medaille 82-40 in the middle of the season, Franciscan has made a significant improvement, keeping with Medaille throughout the entire game.

“The girls did not just lay down and die,” Delaney said, “they kept fighting and maintained a great attitude.”

Franciscan is now 3-12 in conference, and will compete with Mt. Aloysius College on Wednesday Feb. 13.