STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – With captain Frank Murray sidelined with an injury, the young Baron basketball squad noticeably missed his presence as they took on Penn State Altoona Wednesday night. Despite keeping pace for the majority of the game, the Franciscan University Barons fell to the Lions, 67-52.

"With the absence of Frank Murray, we not only didn't have one of our key players but we missed his leadership on the floor," said head coach John Lamanna.

Suited up for the Barons on the night were four freshman, two sophomores, and two juniors. Freshman Nolan Albrecht lead the Barons with a 16-point, seven-rebound effort, while sophomore Peter Mooney pitched in with 13 points and five rebounds.

The final score was not indicative of the team's back and forth tenacity. For the first ten minutes, the two teams traded baskets, with Altoona's biggest lead at seven points and Franciscan holding a one-point lead at the 13:12 mark. It wasn't enough, as Altoona ended the half with a 13-point lead.

The second half mirrored the first as Franciscan tried to match Altoona's baskets. With just over three minutes remaining in the game, the Barons shrunk a 16-point deficit to just eight points.

From there, the visiting Lions did not make another field goal, but went to the free throw line 14 times in the last three minutes, going 11-14 to close out the game.

"This was not a good game for us tonight, especially coming off of a great performance on Sunday against D'Youville," Lamanna said. "But this season, we have been able to respond well after tough losses, so I'm really looking forward to our preparations as we move forward towards Penn State Behrend [on Saturday]."

The Barons look forward to their next opportunity to notch their first win of the season on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they travel to Erie, Pa., to take on Penn State Behrend. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.