PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Franciscan University men's basketball team lost to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference top seed, La Roche College 92-59. The Barons had a hard time matching the offensive firepower of the Red Hawks and fell to a halftime deficit of 46-17.

The second half of the game was a different story for FUS, scoring 42 points without their freshman forward Joseph Rine who fouled out early in the second half.

"The second half is an example of how we need to play," head coach John Lamanna said. "Rine fouled out early, but we made due. We were able to pick up the aggression and get after it in the second half."

The Barons young squad, who started four first year players, found their groove after a frustrating first half of bad passes and mental mistakes.

"These guys are so young and they are playing hard," Lamanna said. "They are learning to play together. It is a long process, but they are getting closer and closer."

Freshman forward, Joe Thomas, ended up being the surprise player for the Barons, scoring a team high 13 points. Thomas's aggressive play in practice earned him more minutes on the court.

"He has been playing well in practice," Lamanna said. "He has always been a good scorer. He had been more aggressive on defense during practice, and he got rewarded with more minutes. It was nice to see him prove himself."

FUS also benefited from some scrappy play from sophomore Joe Spears, who came off the bench to shoot 5 for 7 from the field, giving Franciscan 11 points and 5 rebounds.

Freshman Justin Horstman, one of the teams top scorers early in the season returned for his first game since Dec 17 scoring nine points for the Barons.

"It's great to see him back into the lineup," Lamanna said. "We are going to get him going in practice and during the off season. He will determine our offensive success in the future."

FUS will play their final home game of the season on Feb 6 against Medaille College for Senior Night. Medaille is currently tied for first place in the AMCC. The Barons learned about what it takes to steal a win from a team of that caliber.

"We have learned a lot tonight," Lamanna said. "We know what aggression we need to bring against a tough team of that caliber."