Franciscan 53, Grove City 68

Franciscan Starters 
Emma Clow, Natalie Conner, Mikayla Doan, Madison Doan, Caroline Reedy 

How It Happened 
Franciscan hosted Grove City on Tuesday night for their 2023-24 home opener. The Wolverines would spoil the special night on Kuzma Court, as they would win 68-53.

It would be a slow start, as neither team would score until two minutes in when Natalie Conner made a layup to give Franciscan the lead. Maria McCallen and Ilena Gonzales would add late buckets to keep it close at 12-10 with Grove City leading at the end of the first quarter. Emma Clow made the first five points for the Barons in the second quarter to keep the score 17-15. The Wolverines would get hot and close out the half on a 13-3 run to set the score at 30-18 at halftime. 

Gonzales would spark the Barons' offense to start the third quarter with their first six points of the half, including a tough and-one bucket. Clow would add her second three pointer of the day help keep this one within reach as we headed into the fourth quarter. Conner connected on a three pointer early on in the fourth to cut the lead to 14 points, but the Wolverines would not let the Barons get closer. The Barons would battle though till the end, as a 5-0 run by Franciscan would end the game. 

Inside the Numbers 
- Clow had a season-high 15 points to lead all scorers
- Reedy pulled in 13 rebounds.
- Gonzales had an efficient 13 off the bench.
- Grove City out-scored Franciscan 38-20 in the paint. 

Up Next 
Franciscan will have some time to rest and recover over Thanksgiving break, as they will have eight days between games. They will return to the hardwood at Geneva on November 29th at 5:30 p.m. The Barons are 2-12 all-time against the Golden Tornadoes, as they are looking to break a six-game skid against them. Franciscan's last win against Geneva came in January of 2020 by a score of 74-67. Abby Baierl led the way with 29 points with four made three pointers to lead Franciscan to victory. 

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