STEUBENVILLE, OH – Jenah Labuski and Natalie Whitman's 18 points led ten different Hawks in the scoring column, but their collective offensive efforts fell short as Hilbert suffered an 84-72 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference road loss to Franciscan University December 14. The Barons got scoring from all six of their players as Franciscan earned their first win of the season to improve to 1-4.

Kylie Reinholz added 15 points and 7 rebounds, one less than Whitman's draw for the day.

Franciscan's Lacy Huck and Iliana Gonzales each netted 23 points with Huck earning a double-double pulling in 12 rebounds, while adding four steals and two blocks. Gonzales earned game-high 8 steals for the home team who forced 27 turnovers and earned 20 steals.

Hilbert finished the game shooting 41.2% from the floor, sinking six of 12 attempts from beyond the arc. Hilbert out-rebounded the hosts (36-32) but shot only 50% from the foul line. The obvious eye-sore on the stat-sheet was the number of attempts Franciscan was awarded at the charity stripe compared to Hilbert (31-20). The Hawks (1-8) diminished their chances for a win when they made only 10 foul shots, while Franciscan added 22 points.

Franciscan built a 14 point lead with 4:56 remaining in the first half. Back-to-back three-point goals by Reinholz and Lauren Eggleston, plus a traditional three-point play by Whitman cut the score, but the Barons held a four-point advantage by the break. The Hawks held a 8-0 advantage in second-chance points by half time.

Labuski opened the second period with a jumper and Emily Spiedel's fast-break three-point shot gave Hilbert their first lead (41-40). After one made free throw by the Barons, which forced the game's only tie, both teams played through six lead changes before Franciscan tightened up their defense. They turned a close game into a 14-point spread with 5:51 left. Katelynn Ball's 5 points spurred a Hawks' comeback, but for each bucket the visitors made Franciscan responded with their own score and held on for a 12-point victory.

The women's basketball team will now take a break for the semester to celebrate the holiday season with their families. They will be back in action again on January 8th when they host D'Youville College at 8pm.