ERIE, Pa.—The Franciscan University men's basketball team continues to take steps toward its first victory of the season. However, it did not come on Saturday as the Barons fell to the Penn State Behrend Lions, 66-35.

"I'm happy with how my guys continue to compete from start to finish," said head coach John Lamanna. "The score tonight was not indicative of how hard we played."

One player who is consistently strong for the young Barons squad is Nolan Albrecht, once again leading the team in scoring on the night with a game-high of 17.

The Barons shot just 32 percent from the field on the afternoon, while their opponent used scoring from ten different players to shoot just over 54 percent. 

"I keep talking to the guys about small victories, and the improvement of our free throw shooting has been extremely positive," Lamanna added.

Going into Saturday, the Barons were shooting just 54 percent from the line. Over the last two games, they have gone a perfect 17-17.

The Barons will continue to strive for their first win as they travel to defending Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference champion La Roche College on Monday for a 6 p.m. tip-off.