BRADFORD, P.a.—The Franciscan University women's basketball team came out on top of a back and forth game against conference opponent University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, winning 65-63.

"I am so excited for our team and our program coming off of two big wins back to back this weekend," head coach Suzy Delaney said.

Bradford was tied for the second place spot in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference making the win a solid step forward for the FUS program. The Lady Barons improved their record in the conference to 3-3 with a 4-7 overall record.

Franciscan went into halftime with an 11-point lead but in the second half, Bradford was ready to put up a fight and started the back and forth battle.

"They were clawing back into the game a few points at a time but you could just see it in our girls eyes that they were determined and had their composure," Delaney said. "Our two captains, Helen and Lacey have really set the tone and our team is following their lead."

The end of the game was a nail biter as the teams went into the final two minutes of play tied 59-59. Captain Lacey Huck fouled out putting added pressure on the rest of the ream. Despite this, Franciscan made two key plays that gave them the upper hand.

The remaining captain on the court, Helen Raines, drove into the lane and dished it back out to Monica Dawyot who then made a layup, drew a foul and made her foul shot putting the Barons ahead with a three-point lead. The Lady Barons then forced Bradford to turn it over and Franciscan kept the lead until the end.

"Lacey is a big weapon for us and when she goes out in the end of the game it can be tough," Delaney said. "But in her absence the girls continued to be strong and brought it home."

Making a difference in the final outcome for the Lady Barons was their ability to perform on the free throw line as they shot 89 percent from the line during the game. The team also shot 43 percent from the field with sophomore Dani Link putting up 14 points and freshman Katie Rhodes scoring a career high 18 points.

"I'm so proud of girls and the balanced effort they displayed," Delaney said. "Our defense was really strong helping each other and stopping the drive but I am overall really proud of their effort on both ends of the floor."

The Lady Barons play LaRoche College at 8 pm on January 15 to continue striving to move up in the conference.