Franciscan 63, Bethany 42
Franciscan Starters
Sophie LaRose, Chiara MacGillivray, Jazzlyn Melnyk, Kylie Panizza, Lauren Arena
Bethany Starters
Ferguson, Skopel, Mason, Wheeler, Heap
How It Happened
Franciscan hosted local rival Bethany on Tuesday night at Finnegan Fieldhouse in a pivotal PAC matchup.
Both teams took time to knock off the jitters, as it took nearly three minutes before the Bison would score the first points of the game. Melnyk would get Franciscan on the board with four minutes to play in the quarter. Melnyk would score Franciscan's other bucket of the quarter, as only 13 points would be scored between both teams in the opening quarter with Bethany leading 8-5.
Shooting was much improved for both teams in the second quarter, as the Bison would stretch their lead up to seven at 12-5. MacGillivray would snap the run with her first bucket, as the Barons would go on a 5-2 run to cut it to within four points. Bethany would go on another hot streak to stretch the lead back up to 11 at 21-10, but Franciscan would respond. Emma Clow would go on a personal 5-0 run including her first made three pointer. After a pair of Bethany free throws, Clow added another deep three before Arena would make a layup to give us a three point game. The Bison added a made jumper in the final seconds to take us to the half with a 25-20 score.
The Bison would go on an 8-0 run over the first six minutes of the third quarter, as the third quarter started very similar to the first quarter. Sophie LaRose and Natalie Conner added buckets to try to stay in this one, but the Bison would stay on the attack. They would take a 13 point edge into the fourth quarter. Action would be back and forth to start the fourth, but then Bethany would take a firm grasp of the lead. Panizza would add a pair of made buckets down the stretch, but the Bison would win 63-42.
Inside the Numbers
- Emma Clow had a career-high 10 points off the bench.
- Melnyk led the Barons with 11 rebounds and two asssits.
- Panizza had three steals.
- 14 Barons registered a minute played or more.
Up Next
Franciscan continues their busy week of conference play as they travel to Waynesburg on Thursday for a pivotal matchup. The Yellow Jackets are off to a slow start this season with just one win in conference play. The Barons are in search of their first win all-time against them, as they are 0-5 in their previous matchups.
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