Franciscan 56, Waynesburg 68

Franciscan Starters 
Sophie LaRose, Chiara MacGillivray, Jazzlyn Melnyk, Kylie Panizza, Lauren Arena  

Waynesbsurg Starters
Seto, Furlong, Bailey, Dansby, Burns

How It Happened 
Franciscan looked to bounce back on Thursday night as they traveled to Waynesburg for a PAC conference battle. They would have a one point lead at half, but then the host Yellow Jackets would respond with a big second half to pull out the win. 

The Barons started off hot with a 5-0 run. Panizza made the opening shot from deep, and then Melnyk made a nice driving layup. After a couple of Waynesburg buckets, Felicia MacGillivray would score eight points in a row to give the Barons the lead at 14-6. Lauren Arena would then go on a 4-0 run of her own to add onto the lead. The Yellow Jackets would make a three in the final seconds to tighten it up to an 18-12 mark at the first break. 

Natalie Conner would score the first points of either team to start the second quarter and extend the Franciscan lead to 20-12. Both teams would struggle from the field this quarter, but the Yellow Jackets would put together a 7-1 run to cut the lead to just two points. They would grab a late bucket to head into the half with Franciscan leading 22-21.  

Back and forth action started off the third quarter with MacGillivray and Melnyk connect from beyond the arc to keep Franciscan ahead. In the middle of this quarter, Waynesburg would take a firm grasp of the lead thanks to a 10-0 run over two minutes of play. Emma Clow and Jazzlyn Melnyk would respond with three pointers of their own to settle the game back down with Franciscan trailing 39-42. The Barons would get a couple of good looks late in third, but they would not connect to send us to the fourth trailing by four points.

A 5-0 Waynesburg run to start the fourth would put Franciscan down by nine. LaRose and Panizza would add a couple free throws to stay in this one, but the Yellow Jackets offense would keep up the attack. The Barons would be able to cut it to seven after a Lauren Arena free throw with a minute to play. Avery Robinson from Waynesburg would step up with a personal 7-0 run to seal the game for the Yellow Jackets. 

Inside the Numbers 
- MacGillivray led Franciscan with 19 points .
- Jazzlyn Melnyk recorded her fourth double double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
- Lauren Arena had four steals and two assists.
- Avery Robinson led all scorers with 26 points off the bench for Waynesburg.

Up Next 
Franciscan concludes their stretch of four games in eight days, as they travel to Westminster on Saturday. The Titans are one of five teams in the PAC with at least five conference wins, as they are having another steady strong year. Franciscan will be in search of their first win all-time against them, as they are 0-4 in previous matchups. 

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