Bethany 66, Franciscan 51

Franciscan Starters 
Kimberly McDaniels, Felicia MacGillivray, Jazzlyn Melnyk, Lauren Arena, Madison Doan   

Bethany Starters
Garrison, Heap, Wheeler, Mason, Stinnett

How It Happened 
    Franciscan pulled off the back to back games on Wednesday and Thursday this week. After the heartbreaking loss to Geneva at home on Wednesday, Franciscan traveled to Bethany on Thursday evening. Melnyk and Doan each scored in double digits, but the Bison would prevail victoriously.

    A back and forth start led to a 4-4 game through four minutes of play. Jazzlyn Melnyk and Kimberly McDaniels each scored early buckets for the Lady Barons. Ilena Gonzales and Felicia MacGillivray also added their first made jumpers in the opening quarter, to send us to the second trailing 15-11. The Bison opened up the quarter hot, as they extended the lead to an 11 point margin through the first three minutes of the quarter. Melnyk and MacGillivray would help Franciscan cut to within five thanks to a 6-0 run. Unfortunately, the Bison would respond with a strong run of their own to take a 14 point lead into the half.

    Franciscan came out strong in the third quarter behind Madison Doan's offensive explosion. She scored 13 of Franciscan's 16 third quarter points while cutting into the Bethany lead. Melnyk added a three pointer as well to send us to the fourth trailing by 12 points. The Bison made adjustments and responded with a 12-0 run to start the fourth. That would take the lead out of reach for Franciscan, but they still did not quit. MacGillivray added a  pair of three pointers, while Sophie LaRose and Lauren Arena added late points.

Inside the Numbers 
- Melnyk led the Lady Barons with 14 points, giving her two double digit scoring performances this week.
- Doan added an efficient 13 points in 15 minutes played.
- Kimberly McDaniels had a team high four steals.
- Bethany had 21 points off turnovers, compared to Franciscan's six.
- Franciscan shot 43.2% from the floor, their best percentage of the season thus far.

Up Next
Franciscan will have one day to rest and prepare for Saint Vincent, as they travel to Latrobe on Saturday. The Lady Barons fell to the Bearcats 70-54 in their previous matchup this season. Three Barons were able to reach double digit scoring, as they were led by Felicia MacGillivray with 22 points. The Bearcats were able to capitalize on turnovers with their strong defense. This is an important matchup for playoff seeding, if the season ended today, these two teams would meet in the first round of the PAC Tournament.

Baron Summer Camps
Franciscan University Athletics is partnering with Steubenville Conferences to offer summer sports camps in conjunction with the Steubenville Main Campus 1 (June 9-12th, 2022) and 3 (June 23-26th, 2022). Youth Conferences. Participants will be able to strengthen both their athletic skills and their relationship with Christ in this uniquely Franciscan hybrid experience. Men's and Women's Basketball are just a couple of the sports that will be included, check out more info on our Baron Summer Camps Page.

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