STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — With four seconds left on the clock the Franciscan University men's basketball team defeated Medaille College with a contested layup from forward Joseph Rine that gave the Barons a 71-70 win and their second conference victory of the season.

Down by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Barons battled to close the gap with several strong plays by Rine and sophomore guard Christian Duke. The last four minutes of the game saw the score shifting back and forth as both Baron and Maverick players nailed shots from the three-point zone.

At the twelve-second mark, Medaille hit two foul shots to pull ahead 70-69. The Barons quickly inbounded, getting the ball to junior Moses Sullivan who had already made a series of big plays down the stretch. Sullivan beat his defender, drove to the hoop, and dished the ball off to an open Rine for the winning score.

"We've been in a ton of close games and had a lot of heartbreakers," head coach John Lamanna said. "For us to battle and get this one with how hard we fought is so commendable. I'm extremely proud of the men in our program."

Leading the team down the stretch was Sullivan who made play after play in the last 4 minutes, finishing with 19 points and seven assists, including the final assist to Rine in the closing seconds. Sullivan was closely followed by Rine, who scored three of Franciscan's last four buckets while dominating the post with 16 points and seven blocks.

"When we lost our center Jordan at Christmas, Joe's role changed to being our primary big," Lamanna said. "These last three games he's played as we always knew he could play, so I'm very proud of him."

Rine said that the support from the crowd gave the team the energy they needed to pull through.

"It was really great because the stands were full and all the fans were cheering us on," he said. "It was a close, hard-fought game."

Lamanna also said the effort from Duke in the helping close the 11 point deficit played a crucial role in the Baron's win.

"Christian came in today and just played so well in terms of boarding it— his shot selection, his defensive presence—he was very good tonight," Lamanna said.

Duke played a roll in five straight buckets starting with 9:26 left on the clock that pulled the Barons within three. During that stretch, he scored seven points and assisted on four more.

Overall, Lamanna said that while this could be a turning point for the team, they still have things to work on in order to solidify their success.

"It's a good win. Now the question is are we going to be able to sustain it and keep moving forward?" Lamanna said. "We'll find out on Monday."

The Barons will next travel to Mt. Aloysius on Monday, January 20 at 6pm looking for their second straight conference win.