STEUBENVILLE, Ohio - December 16, 2024 - December has treated the Hiram women's basketball team well, as the Terriers improved to 3-1 this month and 6-3 overall with a 69-57 win over Franciscan on Monday evening at Finnegan Fieldhouse.

The victory also gives the Terriers their first three-game win streak since the start of last season, with two of those wins coming against PAC competition.

Brooke Hickman had a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds, while Isabella Caceres tallied 12 assists and three steals in the starting backcourt. Ava Mory added a season-high 14 points and Juliana Gunn had a career-high 10 points off the bench to fill out a well-rounded performance for the road team.

For Caceres, the 12 assists marked the fourth-most in a single game in program history, trailing only Julie Paolano (14 vs Lake Erie in 1996), Valerie Goudy (13 vs Lake Erie in 2001) and Karen Horvath (13 vs CWRU in 1987).

The game was won in the first quarter, when Hiram outscored its opposition by 15 points (24-9) on 53% shooting (9-17) from the field. Hickman and Sarah Seaman combined for each of the Terriers' first 13 points before Mory had 6 points of her own in the opening 10 minutes. The Hiram defense held Franciscan to just three field goals during that span.

More defense ensued in the second quarter; the Terriers again held Franciscan to just 9 points. At the half, Hiram led 32-18.

Franciscan found a groove throughout the second half and outscored the Terriers by two points, but the steady contributions of Hickman and Mory in the painted area were too much for the opposition to overcome. Avril Drew also provided an offensive spark off the bench alongside Gunn, finishing with 9 points.

Hiram will continue its busy week on Wednesday, when it travels to Tiffin, OH for a road battle against Heidelberg at 6 p.m. inside Seiberling Gymnasium.