BRADFORD, Pa. – Turnovers plagued the Franciscan men's basketball team as they battled the number four ranked conference team, the University of Pitt-Bradford, in a close contest that they ultimately lost 62-58.

Down 27-22 at the half, Franciscan began the second half with renewed vigor, pulling ahead in the first three minutes with a lead they retained for the majority of the half.

With just over two and a half minutes to go, the Barons were up by five when a 3-point shot allowed the Panthers to climb back into the game. A minute later, the Barons fouled, giving Bradford the free-throw opportunity they needed to tie it up.

Two more costly turnovers sealed the deal as the Panthers monopolized on their extra possessions to pull even further ahead.

"We've had times where we take care of the ball and we've had times when we don't take care of the ball," head coach John Lamanna said. "It's just a matter of what team shows up that night. Tonight we were the team that just turned the ball over way too much down the stretch."

With nineteen turnovers total, the Baron's lost several offensive opportunities throughout the night.

Despite their turnover woes, the Barons had the best shooting night in a while, averaging 53.3 percent from the floor.

The Barons usual trio of senior guard Moses Sullivan, freshmen John Paul Dombrowski and freshman Keoni Sablan led the team in points with 17, 10, and 9 respectively.

Lamanna said having the senior captain back after limited minutes due to foul trouble in the last two games was especially helpful to the Baron offense. He added that out-rebounding the Panthers was another positive aspect of the game but that defensively the Barons had room for improvement.

"We didn't play as well defensively as the past two games, but we had a chance," Lamanna said. "A bit of a slow start backed it up, and primarily just taking care of the ball is what cost us the game."

The Barons will have the week to refocus before their home game at 4 pm on Saturday, January 31 against Hilbert College.