PITTSBURGH, PA – It was a game the Franciscan University of Steubenville Barons basketball team wanted badly, battling the La Roche College Redhawks in a loss of 67-58. The last time the Barons and Redhawks faced off, the Barons fell 92-90 in double overtime. The Barons now hold a standing of 5-13 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and 6-16 overall.

La Roche holds a 4-0 series advantage over the Barons since they entered the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference last season.

The Barons fought to bring home the win, trailing by five at the break with a score of 31-26. They shot 39.3% from the field, just under the Redhawks 43%. However, the Barons were unable to close the gap during second period and La Roche escaped with a nine-point victory.

Josh Ducoulombier and Connor Flanagan led the way for the Barons with 18 points apiece. Thomas Kleinschnitz also had a solid performance with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Dylan Grazier was the offensive standout for the Redhawks with 23 points, while teammate Mike Dixon contributed 10.

“The game was close - they hit some free throws down the stretch to extend their lead, and it was closer than the score would indicate,” Barons coach Sean Donovan remarked. “Connor [Flanagan] and Duke [Ducoulombier] came up big for us again tonight. We shot well, and our defense played well, but they just shot a bit better than us. We're looking forward to our game this weekend against Christendom.”

It is Senior Night for the Barons this Saturday as they take on Christendom College at 8 p.m.