Scots Edged Out Late in 66-53 Setback at Franciscan

The College of Wooster overcame a slow start and a double-digit deficit to draw within one midway through the second half, but Franciscan University of Steubenville weathered the Fighting Scots' comeback bid and pulled away, 66-53, on Monday evening in a non-conference match-up at Steubenville, Ohio.

Franciscan (3-4) opened the contest on an 8-0 scoring run, but the Scots (1-7) settled in after that and matched the Lady Barons with 25 points apiece over the remainder of the first half, making it a 33-25 game at the break.

The Barons extended their cushion to 10 at 39-29 early in the second, which prompted Wooster to go on its best run of the game – as it outscored Franciscan 12-3 over the next 3:57.

First, Rachel Huxhold canned a 3-pointer, and then on Wooster's very next possession, Sydney Failing knocked down a jumper to make it a five-point game (39-34). Franciscan responded with some free throws to go back up by seven, but then Rachel Collins hit a 3-pointer and Failing scored on a lay-up to cut the deficit to two at 41-39. Finally, Franciscan split a pair at the charity stripe, and then Sydney Grier drained a basket on the other end that put Wooster behind by just one on the scoreboard (42-41).

The Barons regained the momentum at that juncture with their own 7-0 scoring run, and then with a solid cushion in place, they clamped down on defense and held Wooster without a field goal (0-for-8) over the final five minutes of play.

Overall, Wooster caused Franciscan to turn the ball over 20 times, but it was only able to score nine points off those turnovers. Meanwhile, the Barons used 48.9 percent shooting for the field (22-of-45) to keep the Scots at bay.

Leading all scorers was Franciscan's Sarah Schriner with 32 points, which included five 3-pointers, while Grier and Collins stood out for Wooster with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Failing was next in line with nine points, while Hancher, who dealt with foul trouble, recorded eight marks in the scorebook. Defensively, Paige Fabry led the team with five rebounds and Katherine Mandych had three of the team's six steals.

The Scots will be right back at it again tomorrow afternoon when they visit the inspirational Lauren Hill and Mount St. Joseph University (2-5) at 2 p.m.