CRESSON, P.a.—Poor defensive play and a challenging tempo led to the defeat of Franciscan University men's basketball team by Mt. Aloysius College with a final score of 102-81.

"We were just outplayed from the tip to the final buzzer," head coach John Lamanna said.

Mount Aloysius steadily pulled ahead throughout the first half with Franciscan trailing behind and consistently scoring but not nearly enough to keep up. At the end of the first half, the Muskies had put up 54 points while the Barons only had 37.

Lamanna said the team discussed controlling the Muskies tempo in order to keep the game from getting to such a high score as it had already reached in the first half, but they were unable to execute that plan.

"The tempo was not where we wanted it to be," Lamanna said. "Giving up 54 points in the first half is just not acceptable. We talked about controlling the team but sure enough that was out of reach by the start of the second half. We decided to play at their level and at their tempo. We didn't try to do anything to stop their tempo."

The second half was more balanced, with FUS only scoring four less points than the Muskies. Although they were unable to come back, Lamanna commends Timmy Schenk for keeping the team together throughout.

"Timmy did a great job of incorporating and getting everyone involved," Lamanna said. "Maybe he didn't have the exact points but he did a great job of trying to get more people involved in the offense. He was a real difference maker."

Due to Schenk's contribution, the Barons' offense was balanced and multiple players scored in the double digits. Joseph Rine scored 15, Christian Duke 14, Schenk and Moses Sullivan each had 13 and Garrison Holmes ended with 11.

The Baron's major flaw came in their defensive play. Lamanna said poor rebounds and giving up second-chance opportunities were big factors in the loss, but not as large as their lack of defense in guarding.

"We really didn't guard the basketball and if you don't do that, its just not going to go well," Lamanna said. "We did a really poor job of guarding the ball and we gave up 18 offensive boards."

After a close win against Medaille College just two days prior to their game against Mt. Aloysius, this loss shows that the Barons must learn how to respond to their wins.

"This is what we have been dealing with all season," Lamanna said. "It is just lack of maturity of a group, not as individuals. It comes from growth and time and we will learn from this. There is no doubt in my mind that we will grow from this."

The Barons play next on Thursday, January 23 at 8 p.m. at home during Franciscan University's annual Kuzma Community Night against Penn State Altoona.