WOOSTER, Ohio - Franciscan women's basketball dropped its season opener 79-61 on the road to nonconference opponent The College of Wooster.

Franciscan came into the game missing a few key players that could have given the game a different outcome, particularly sophomore guard Sarah Schriner who did not travel with the team, while others were not at full strength after battling illnesses lately. Still, head women's basketball coach Suzy Delaney was proud of the girls' effort despite some adverse circumstances.

"Our girls have had some adversity this week with illness and some injuries," said. "I was proud of the determination and the fight that we displayed through the final horn today."

Senior guard Iliana Gonzales opened up her final season by dropping 29 points on the Fighting Scots and shooting 50 percent from the floor to finish as the game's leading scorer, nine points better than Wooster's Rachel Collins who finished with 20 points. Gonzales also grabbed seven rebounds as the second-leading rebounder.

"Iliana Gonzales played a strong game for us on both ends of the court," Delaney said. "She really made a lot of plays that kept us in the game in the first and second half, especially on the offensive end."

Fellow senior guard/forward Stephanie Pahren grabbed eight rebounds off the glass to finish as the Lady Barons' leading rebounder while also contributing 10 points offensively.

"Steph Pahren had a solid game for us, leading us in rebounds with eight and also adding 10 points," Delaney said.

The game was a constant ebb and flow from the start as the Fighting Scots would go on a run, forcing the Lady Barons to battle back to cut into the lead.  Wooster led by 11 at halftime and built up an 18-point lead five minutes into the second half with some hot three-point shooting and strong offensive rebounding. However, Franciscan was not going down without a fight and continued to push the ball, working hard in transition with just a few minutes left in the game.

With the first game in the books, the Lady Barons know what improvements to make before taking the court again, namely, cutting down on turnovers.

"We're just looking forward to getting back to work for our game on Wednesday against Bethany," Delaney said.

The Lady Barons will hit the road on Wednesday, November 18, to take on the Bison of Bethany College (W.V.) at 6 p.m.