ALTOONA, Pa. – With each conference game gaining more important than the last, Franciscan women's basketball came out strong with hot shooting on the road against Penn St.-Altoona, propelling them to the 71-55 victory.

In the two teams' previous matchup, Altoona was able to beat the Lady Barons by 10 points on their own court. The last time the Lady Barons struggled to keep up with the Lady Lions in many aspects of the game, but the same could not be said for the second matchup.

This win also marks the first time in program history that the Lady Barons have beaten Penn St.-Altoona at Altoona.

"We had tremendous ball movement," head women's basketball coach Suzy Delaney said. "It created a lot of opportunities that we were able to convert. In the second half I thought we did a good job of playing sound position defense and forcing tough shots. Altoona is an excellent shooting team, and they really make you work on defense."

While the Lady Barons played a strong defensive game, holding Altoona to only 55 points, it was the team's offense that was able to shine.

The Lady Barons were led in the first half by the hot hand of guard Iliana Gonzales who shot 5-7 from the three-point line in the first half. The sophomore scored 19 of her 26 points in the first half, also adding eight rebounds and eight assists on the night.

"Iliana Gonzales played one of the most complete games that you can," Delaney said. "She shot well, defended well, rebounded well and found her teammates all night long."

In the second half, senior forward Lacey Huck picked up where Gonzales left off, scoring 12 of her 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Huck was also able to grab a double-double, finishing with 11 rebounds, putting together another solid performance as her career at Franciscan winds down.

"Lacey gave us a great effort leading us in the second half," Delaney said.

Freshman guard Sarah Schriner was also able to put together a complete game with 12 points and seven assists, playing one of her better games in the past few weeks.

"Sarah laid it all out on the line tonight and really played a great game at point guard," Delaney said.

Despite Altoona having the conference's leading rebounder, senior forward Moira Corrigan, who averages 14.0 rebounds per game, the Lady Barons were able to out-rebound the Lady Lions 47-37. The additional rebounds, plus 20 team assists on 27 made baskets, was key to the team's successful offensive night, creating opportunities for second-chance points.

With three conference games remaining, the Lady Barons now sit tied for fifth place in the conference with Medaille College, who lost to Penn St.-Behrend the same night. Franciscan is still in control of their playoff future as the top six teams in the conference make the AMCC tournament.

The Lady Barons will take on fellow fifth-place team Medaille College at home February 14 at 2 pm.