NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Franciscan University lost 83-48 in their first game in eighteen days in an away game against Muskingum University. The Barons struggled to knock off the winter break rust

"It was a really tough game," head coach John Lamanna said. "When things don't go your way, things just don't go your way. It just happened that quite a bit of things just didn't quite go our way this afternoon. We were really out of sorts from the tip, it wasn't anything Muskingum did- it was more we were just a little off."

The Barons came out slow, not scoring until freshman Christian Duke's three-point jump shot two minutes in, while the Fighting Muskies had already put up seven points. The game continued similarly, with Muskingum scoring regularly and FUS struggling to knock down shots. The first half ended 43-26.

"There weren't very many big moments at all in the game, it was just tough and that happens," Lamanna said. "I will say that for the guys that did play, they competed as hard as they possibly could."

Freshmen guard Garrison Holmes and Duke each contributed five points in the first half, with junior Justin Horstman contributing four. Sophomore guard Timmy Schenk led the team in scoring in both halves including nine in the first.

The second half proved just as challenging as the first, with Franciscan playing out-of-sync as Muskingum continued to widen their lead. Schenk brought in eight more points and Horstman six, making them the two top scorers for the Barons.

"Sometimes these things happen and it's a matter of learning from every situation," Lamanna said. "We need to grow from it to see if we can be better in our next opportunity to compete."

Lamanna said the evening's game did not give a good sense of what the program and the team is as a whole, although they did work hard throughout the entire game.

"We didn't give up and we kept fighting on all fronts, but it just wasn't our night," Lamanna said. "We have to continue to move forward. As a whole. the guys competed as hard as they possibly could and I am looking forward to seeing how we bounce back next week."

The Barons continue their season on January 8 at 6 pm at an away game against Penn State-Altoona.