STEUBENVILLE—Franciscan University of Steubenville's Barons basketball team gave a final fight to finish its season with an impressive 69-61 win over the D'Youville College Spartans Saturday night. The win gives the Barons an overall season standing of 4-19, and leaves them 4-14 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
"Tonight was a perfect example of battling," noted head coach Sean Donovan. "There were some hard lulls, but we just had to fight back."
The Barons started the second half with an eight point lead and spent the rest of the game trying to keep it. It was a constant back-and-forth battle, and the Barons' perseverance ultimately led them to gain a sure victory in the last minute of the game.
The leading scorers on the night were fittingly two seniors: Thomas Kleinschnitz and Connor Flanagan. Kleinschnitz totaled 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, and four assists on the night, while Flanagan earned a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The win proved to showcase several other players. "Frank Murray really made some things happen offensively," noted Donovan. "And Shane Crump came out really big for his senior night."
Crump was one of the three seniors honored as they played their last in-season game. Crump is a first year player despite being a senior, and surprised the crowd with his best game of season, clinching a double-double with 10 points and rebounding 13 on the night.
Kleinschnitz holds the school record for the most points scored in a single game with 39. He also holds several other school records: highest scoring average of 17.4, best assists average of 2.7 and steals average of 1.8. He holds the second place records for free throws made with 116, and steals with 67. Over a span of only two years at Franciscan, Kleinschnitz scored a total of 642 points.
Flanagan was the only graduating senior who has played all four years at Franciscan. Totaling 829 points in his career, he holds the first place record for Franciscan. Flanagan also holds the following first place records: 318 field goals made, 94 three-pointers made, 384 rebounds, and 72 steals.
The Barons head to postseason play with a tournament of provisional teams March 4-5, at the Finnegan Fieldhouse. Franciscan will host Covenant College, Berry College, and Birmingham Southern College. Game times on Friday are at 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. The championship game is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, with the consolation game preceding at 12:00 p.m.
