STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – Although Franciscan University women's basketball team worked hard to keep up the pace, Medaille's quick, hard-hitting offense made it difficult for the Lady Barons to muster a response, losing 76-62. Despite the loss, the Lady Barons took the opportunity to honor the team's only senior, Lacey Huck and thank her for her years of leadership.

Barely two minutes into the game, Medaille put 6 points on the board.  That initial energy dictated the feel for the rest of the game. 

"We had a really tough loss today," head coach Suzy Delaney said.  "Medaille dictated the tempo.  Because we struggled completing looks, we kept digging ourselves into a deeper hole as the game unfolded." 

A 36-29 lead at half time gave Medaille a sizeable head start which increased to a 12 point lead less than two minutes in with a jump shot, a layup, and a 3-pointer from Medaille offense.  The Lady Barons did not have a readily available answer to the Maverick's surge of energy and struggled to narrow the gap.

Freshman guard Sarah Schriner worked hard in the second half to rally a response from the Lady Barons, initially responding to the halftime energy with a jump shot and three free throws, all in the space of two minutes.  Assisted by junior guard Monica Dawyot, Schriner worked to bring the lead back down to an 11 point margin. 

Schriner finished the game with 20 points, including three 3-pointers.

"Schriner bounced back from injury today, delivering a solid performance that was key for our continued play," Delaney said.  "Her contribution to the team's scoring was significant."

Sophomore guard Iliana Gonzales was also key in rallying the Lady Barons' response. 

"Iliana Gonzales had a really solid day today, especially on offense. Her persistence kept us in the game." 

With a total of 25 points, Gonzales was the team's high scorer and made Medaille's win that much harder to bring home. 

Senior team captain Lacey Huck kept the Lady Baron defense alive with 15 defensive rebounds and 21 overall. The forward also knocked down five of eight free throws to add to her total of nine points for the night.

After the game, Huck was honored as the team's only senior and an especially formative member of the women's basketball program as a captain since her sophomore year. Huck has, to date, 1301 points and over her four years has been the program's leading rebounder with 829 and counting.

"Lacey is a consummate team player, very committed to the basketball program and a woman of character," Delaney said. "She is an incredibly hard worker. It is an honor, a blessing, and a privilege to coach a player like Lacey."  

She will be missed post-graduation, but the young team is better because of her leadership. 

Looking ahead, the Lady Barons are focusing on moving forward and not letting the loss dictate their play. Now tied for sixth in the AMCC with two more conference games within the next week, the team needs to maintain focus to solidify their AMCC standing.

On Wednesday, February 18th, the Lady Barons will play La Roche College at 6pm.