STEUBENVILLE—Franciscan University of Steubenville's Baron basketball team faced one of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference leaders for its first conference game of the season Sunday afternoon. The Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford hold a three-way tie for the number one spot in the AMCC and aggressively pulled out a 70-60 win over Franciscan. The loss pushes the Barons down to a 0-5 overall record and 0-1 in the AMCC.

"I'm really proud of the boys' efforts," said head coach Sean Donovan. "We took the number one team down to the wire."

The Barons finished the first half in front of the Panthers, 29-26, holding a 43% field goal percentage over Pitt-Bradford's 30%. The second half looked promising as the Barons held tight, matching the Panthers in points and holding the lead with less than nine minutes to go in the half. A three-pointer by Panther Luke Haskell tipped the scoreboard and Pitt-Bradford methodically took the offensive advantage.

Senior Connor Flanagan closed the gap to six with thirty seconds left, but good free throws by Sam Moore and Alex Van Deusen increased the Panther lead to a 60-70 finish.

Thomas Kleinschnitz led the Barons in points, tallying 14 on the night. Zackary Miser and Nate Stanton added 13 apiece.

Donovan noted sophomore David Rainwater's time on the court, saying he played a good game. He also added, "Zach Miser did a nice job inside."

Despite the loss, the team and the coach are not thinking negatively about the season. "We proved we could play against anybody," said Donovan. "It's a long season; we have a lot to look forward to."

The Barons travel to Mount Aloysius College for their next game on Thursday, December 9, beginning at 8 p.m.