BUFFALO, N.Y.—A 45-26 lead in the second half by the Medaille College Mavericks headed to an 80-40 victory for the Mavs over the visiting Franciscan University Barons Saturday afternoon. The Barons were never able to generate a competitive comeback against the conference number three team.

The Barons faced a 14-point halftime deficit, but were able shrink it to 11 early in the second half. That was as close as they would come. As a team, the Barons shot just 6-31 from the field in the second half as part of a 25% shooting effort overall on the afternoon.

"Our weakness tonight was on offense," head coach Sean Donovan commented. Two of Franciscan's scoring leaders, seniors Connor Flanagan and Nathan Stanton, only combined for eight points on the night.

Thomas Kleinschnitz was the only Baron in double-digits as he tallied a game-high of 18 points and shot 4-5 from three-point land. Flanagan pitched in with seven points and nine rebounds for Franciscan.

Coach Donovan noted the play of junior guard Dan Kroening who came off the bench to give the Barons some strong minutes. "He did an exceptional job on both ends of the floor, but most notably on defense," said Donovan.

Playing on Medaille's home court—one much smaller than that at Franciscan's Finnegan Fieldhouse—causes problems for visiting teams. Tonight was no exception. "We know it's a tough gym to play in," Donovan noted, "and when you meet a team that's shooting that well from the field you had better be on your 'A-game'. Especially when it's against a team that's seasoned, like Medaille, with their consistent play." The Mavericks are the defending Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Champions.

The Barons, now 2-15 overall on the season and 2-10 in the AMCC, are back in action again this Wednesday as they travel to the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. "It's a very winnable game," according to Coach Donovan. "Tomorrow is a new day, and we're excited about Pitt-Greensburg." Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.