Franciscan 65, Thiel 77

Franciscan Starters 
Jazzlyn Melnyk, Abbigail Jannuzi, Lucy Wilkinson, Emma Clow, and Gemma Biasutto

How It Happened 
    Franciscan made the trip to Thiel ahead of this weekend's winter storm to take on the Tomcats. Melnyk led the Barons with 17 points and nine rebounds in a back-and-forth game, but the Tomcats made a run in the fourth and secured victory.

    The Barons dominated the start of this one, as they took a 13-5 lead behind five points from Abbigail Jannuzi. Thiel rallied back to tie it up at 14-14. The Tomcats took a three-point lead before Hannah Johnson made a three-point field goal to tie it up at 17-17, as we headed to the second quarter. Thiel led by as many as five points in the second quarter, but the Barons battled back to tie it up at 30-30 on a layup from Melnyk. Thiel ended the first half on a 5-0 run, as they led by three points at the break. 

    Jannuzi made a pair of three-point field goals early on in the third, with each bucket tying the game. The score was tied seven different times in the third quarter alone. With a little over two minutes left in the quarter, Isa Saez-Pedraza made a three-point field goal to take a three-point lead. The Tomcats finished the quarter strong to take a two-point lead into the fourth. Thiel shot 60% from the floor in the final quarter, while scoring 26 points. The Barons made a trio of treys in the quarter, but they were not able to regain the lead, as the Tomcats closed out the win.

Inside the Numbers 
- Melnyk scored 17 points, the most this season since she scored 20 against Wooster.
- Clow has four steals and three assists while earning the start.
- Franciscan made nine three-point field goals, the most this season since making 10 against Carthage.
- Thiel's Issy Green had a double double with 14 points and 16 assists. 
- The Tomcats won the rebounding battle 38-32.

Up Next 
Franciscan will return home to take on Waynesburg on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. This will be their second of two meetings against the Yellow Jackets in the 2025-26 season. Waynesburg was able to defend home court in game one, by a score of 78-59. The Barons led by 10 points after the opening quarter, before a big Waynesburg run gave them control. Jazzlyn Melnyk led the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds. 

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