SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half twice but never got the lead late as Franklin prevailed 44-39 Monday in the first of three Delta League games this week.
"We came out better in the second half," said Brownholtz. "The problem was we had a slow start. We spent a lot of time trying to fix the third quarter. Now we have to understand in the Delta League it is a fast-paced game and we have to be prepared to go from the tip."
The Troubadours scored just four points in the opening quarter as the Wildcats built a 15-4 lead. Franklin extended it to 26-12 at the half as Mia Fleming-Mullins scored six points in the period to keep it within reach.
The Troubies started getting some stops in the second half, holding Franklin to seven in the third and 11 in the fourth.
"We got some huge defense from the bench," said Brownholtz. "We needed a couple minutes here and there with great defensive stands. They battled and got some big rebounds. We were able to bring back the offensive fire power and they closed the game strong."
But SF failed to close the gap despite some good looks down the stretch.
Fleming-Mullins led the team with 10 points, while senior Lauren Pank had eight. Junior Jasmine Lee contributed seven off the bench.
St. Francis travels to Elk Grove on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. tip. JV starts the night at 5:30 p.m.
Franklin 44, St. Francis 39
Fleming-Mullins 10, Pank 8, Lee 7, Bagatelos 6, Austin 4, Gage 2, Keitges 2.
