STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — The Franciscan University men's basketball team regained their momentum, contending for a Hank Kuzma Day win in a back and forth battle against top conference opponent Penn St.-Behrend. Despite a halftime lead and the sharp shooting of Moses Sullivan, who returned from an injury, the Barons ultimately fell with a final score of 67-59.

The first half was back and forth between FUS and PSB, with the Barons demonstrating poise and significantly improved ball control from their previous loss against Pitt-Greensuburg. Down by two, six seconds before the halftime buzzer, Sullivan nailed a three-point shot to regain the lead. The shot made the Baron's leading scorer 4 for 4 from long range in the first half.

With the score 27-26, the Barons began the second half in position to best the number one ranked AMCC team, but as the game continued the Lions experience separated them from the young Barons. Behrend dominated the offensive glass, particularly Wes Davic, and made good on nine second-chance opportunities, while Franciscan struggled to make their three-pointers fall.

Although the score slowly added up against the Barons, head coach John Lamanna said his team never gave up the fight.

"We were competitive from start to finish, and the guys really executed," Lamanna said. "It was disappointing how it came out, but if we don't use the end result to grade who we are and we play like this, we'll have a chance to continue to improve. That's the important part."

The team did an especially good job taking care of the ball against Behrend team that ranks no. 1 in the NCAA in defense. Franciscan kept their turnovers to a minimum, with eight in contrast to Behrend's 14. Lamanna said the improved ball control made all the difference.

"Because we took care of the ball, we played so much better," Lamanna said. "We were able to put ourselves in a position to score more often."

Another huge factor for the Barons was senior guard Sullivan's team high 21 points. Last year's top scorer, Sullivan has been out with an injury for much of winter break. His consistent contributions across the board with five three-pointers, three steals, and 6-6 foul shooting, sparked the Baron offense.

"He's so critical," Lamanna said. "This game he was back 100 percent off his injury and it's clear he's somebody we need."

Freshman forward John Paul Dombrowski continued to stand out finishing as the team's second highest scorer, with 10 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. His effort was particularly impressive against Zane Hackett, the Lion's stand-out big man. Junior forward Christian Duke added another nine points and five rebounds.

Lamanna said that the improvements from the Barons' last game against Pitt-Greensburg demonstrate the continuing growth of the young team.

"We were able to regroup and treat it as a learning opportunity," Lamanna said. "It's about the growing process. The goal is that we use tonight again as a learning experience so we can move forward and hopefully continue to improve."

The Barons will have a quick turnaround to host D'Youville College at 3pm on Sunday, January 11.

"We'll bounce right into it and see how we respond," Lamanna said. "I think we're going to be ready to play tomorrow."