STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – Senior forward Lacey Huck scored her 1,000th career point in the Lady Barons 71-57 loss against Bethany College in the team's home and season opener.

Huck was fouled with 8:11 left in the first half and sank her second foul shot for her 1,000th career point, receiving a standing ovation from the fans and members of both teams. Many of Huck's friends and family were in attendance to celebrate the career mark with her. Huck finished as the Lady Baron's second leading scorer with 17 points, adding six rebounds and four assists.

"It's a great accomplishment," Huck said. "I couldn't have done it without the support of so many people. To have them here was very special for me."

Head women's basketball coach Suzy Delaney added, "That was a special moment for me because Lacey has been just a pleasure to know. To see her smile and to be able to celebrate with her family was a special moment."

Huck's leadership on the court was key for the Lady Barons with seven of the team's ten participating players new to the program. Returning sophomore Iliana Gonzales also shared the on-court leadership with Huck, finishing with a team-high 21 points.

"Lacey and Iliana led us, and that's what we expected," Delaney said. "We knew our returners and leaders were going to be solid for us, and they were. We all came away with positives and things we need to work on."

Huck and Gonzalez got help from the team's other returner, sophomore Katie Rhodes, who scored seven points off the bench in the first half. Franciscan shot well in the first half and were only down by five but with an illness eliminating Rhodes as a scoring option in the second half, the Lady Barons struggled to find as many points in the second half.

Coming into the first game against a good Bethany team, the Lady Barons expectations were just to continue the process of growing the program, something they look to do for the entire season.

"Our expectations for today were to just go out there and start the season strong," Delaney said. "We know it's a process, the whole season. We are constantly just looking at where we are in the process."

With one game under their belt, the Lady Barons can start making some adjustments to better prepare offensively and defensively for the rest of their season.

"Basically, looking to Chatham, we are excited for another opportunity to play," Delaney said. "We have a lot of room for improvement and things we want to work on. We are just going to keep doing that on both sides of the court."

The Lady Barons will look for their first win of the season at home against Chatham on November 19 at 6 pm.