Franciscan 42, Westminster 47

Franciscan Starters 
Emma Clow, Caroline Reedy, Ilena Gonzales, Natalie Conner, & Maria McCallen

How It Happened 
Franciscan made the trip to Westminster on Wednesday evening to take on a talented team in the Titans. Westminster entered this matchup sitting in fourth place in the PAC, and the Barons were on the outside looking in, but one would not know that from this game. A defensive battle would ensue with the Titans edging out the Barons.

Neither team could get their offense going in the first half. The Barons would have just 14 points at the break, but they held a talented offense to just 20 points. Maria McCallen, Mikayla Doan, and Ilena Gonzales each had four points for the Barons, as each team looked to get their offense going for the final twenty minutes.

Action would be back and forth to start the third quarter, but then the Titans would make their move. With three minutes left in the quarter, they climbed the lead up to 11 points and appeared to have all the momentum. The Barons would go on a 5-0 run to end the quarter with all of the points coming from Ilena Gonzales. The run continued into the fourth quarter with five straight points to set the score at 36-35 with the Barons down by one point. With three minutes left to play, Caroline Reedy knocked down a three point field goal to tie the game up at 38-38. Reedy would keep the Barons in it with another jumper to pull within one point with 1:34 remaining, but the Barons would be held scoreless from there. Westminster would make their free throws to put this one away but were fully tested by this Franciscan team.

Inside the Numbers 
- Ilena Gonzales led the Barons with 15 points. 
- McCallen was just short of a double double with eight points and 10 boards.
- The Barons held the Titans to 26.7% shooting from the floor, their worst percentage in a game so far this season.

Up Next 
Franciscan will return to action on Saturday, as they make the trip up north to Allegheny. The Barons are in search of their first win against the Gators, as the opposition has won the previous four matchups. In January, the Gators beat the Barons by a score of 70-46. Caroline Reedy scored 19 points and pulled in nine rebounds to lead the way. The Gators are looking to lock up a playoff spot, but the Barons hope to spoil those hopes.

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