Franciscan 65, Wittenberg 82
Franciscan Starters
Abbigail Jannuzi, Ilena Gonzales, Jazzlyn Melnyk, Caroline Reedy, & Maria McCallen
How It Happened
Franciscan hosted Wittenberg on Thursday afternoon at Finnegan Fieldhouse. The Tigers had been receiving votes in the National Top 25 poll until this week's poll, but they entered with an 8-3 record through a tough, non-conference slate.
The Tigers came out firing in the first quarter with 23 points, including four made three pointers, but the Barons were in this one and even held the lead two minutes in as they traded made buckets. The Barons tacked on 13 more points in the second to trail by 13 at the half.
To start the second half, Reedy and McCallen each converted on a pair of buckets for an 8-0 Barons run to cut this to a five-point game. With three minutes left in the third quarter, it was still a five-point game, but then the Tigers made a move. The Barons won this quarter by four points, as the deficit was nine heading to the fourth.
Fouls started to pile up for the Barons in the fourth, and Reedy fouled out halfway through the fourth. Wittenberg expanded their lead to control this one the rest of the way. Giuliana Biasutto hit a three pointer in the final seconds to give us a final score of 82-65.
Inside the Numbers
- Melnyk led the Barons with 15 points to tie her season-high.
- McCallen scored 14 points and Reedy added 12.
- Melnyk had six assists.
- Wittenberg's Kalblom led all scorers with 20 points, including four made three pointers.
Up Next
Franciscan will host Steubenville Catholic Central and Madonna's high school girls teams for the Franciscan Community Invitational Game on Saturday at noon. The game will be played in Finnegan Fieldhouse. Come out and support or follow along with live coverage that can be found on the Women's Basketball schedule page.
The Barons resume PAC play next Wednesday at Waynesburg. The Yellow Jackets played very well in non-conference play, as they picked up five wins, but they have slowed down in conference play. They have just one win in PAC play so far. They will tip at 1:00 p.m.
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