STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Barons fought until the buzzer and maintained composure at the free-throw line but struggled from outside the arc in a nail-biting 71-63 point loss to Penn St.-Altoona.

An easy layup off the tip by freshman guard Jonas McCraig was a good start for the Barons, but scoring points quickly became more difficult as the Barons made just 7 of their 25 shots in the rest of the half. Meanwhile Altoona quickly gained the lead with several key looks down low.

"This is something that's been hurting us for the last 6-8 games," head coach John Lamanna said. "We've had open looks and have just not been able to knock them down. In order to be able to score with your opponent, you have to be able to hit jump shots."

Halftime saw the green and gold behind by a mere seven points, but consistent offensive production from Altoona's Dylan Leazier and Evan Greening made it difficult to turn the tables. Leazier and Greening combined for a total of 54 points, accounting for all but 17 of the Lion's total.

Lamanna said it was a priority for the team to limit Greening's looks down low but that he got away from them as the game progressed.

Despite both offensive and defensive challenges, the Barons left nothing on the court, contesting every loose ball and pressing for much of the second half. The press, in particular, helped force 18 turnovers from Altoona as well as providing nine steals for the Barons.

"Our overall energy and competitiveness tonight was very solid, and our effort was fantastic," Lamanna said. "I commend the men for that."

Despite a cold shooting night from the floor, the Barons shot 22-24 from the free throw line. Freshman guard Keoni Sablan, who has averaged 58 percent throughout the season, was especially consistent, shooting 8-8 from the line and adding four more baskets from the field for a team high of 15 points.

"I'm very proud of Keoni," Lamanna said. "The line is what kept us in the game."

Senior guard Moses Sullivan and freshman forward John Paul Dombrowski also added 12 points apiece and five and seven rebounds respectively. They were joined by sophomore guard Jacob Divens who put up 10 points.

"That's good production," Lamanna said. "Especially JP putting a 12 and 7 game together. That's very solid for a post player."

Lamanna added, however, that the team's 16.7 percent three-point shooting was the final touch to the loss.

"Three-points shots are how you get an advantage," Lamanna said. "Our low percentage from beyond the arc makes it difficult. We've just got to keep going, keep working at it, and keep trying to put the ball in."

The Barons will take that philosophy on the road on Saturday, January 17 for a 4pm game against Medaille College.

"We're just going to continue to work on coming together as a group and work on our defensive and offensive execution," Lamanna said.