Pitt.-Greensburg 93, Franciscan 62

Franciscan Starters 
Colton Hage, Robert Case, Benjamin Klement, Sean Hickey, Nicholas Allienello

Pitt.-Greensburg Starters 
France, Johnson, Priah, Jones, Williams

How It Happened 
    The Barons traveled to Greensburg, Pa to face off against their old AMCC rival University of Pitt-Greensburg. The starting lineup was changed for tonights matchup. The first line started the game off with high tempo, with Sean Hickey grabbing a steal and Nicholas Allienello knocking down a three. There were some unforced erors that caused a turnover, but after the first couple of minutes the game was even. The Barons second lineup of Yann Yonkeu, Aidan Hickey, Sean Hickey, Tristan McDannell, and Joshua Zimmerman brought a punch. Yann Yonkeu had a monster block followed by a put back on the other end. Aidan Hickey caused havoc in the press, and coupled it with two midrange jumpers. Joshua Zimmerman and Sean Hickey each added another steal, and in what felt like a blink, the Barons were up 21-13. Unforced turnovers continued to plague the Barons the rest of the half, but they continued to apply the defensive pressure and keep the game even. At halftime the score was 41-39 Greensburg. 
    The second half felt like a completely different game. From the whistle Greensburg came out and scored in their first four possessions, while the Barons offense was meager at best. Coach Wallace called a timeout and subbed in some of the guys that were producing in the first half, but the momentum was already far in Greensburg's favor. After seven minutes of play in the second half, the Barons found themselves down 18 points. This proved to be a deficit that they were not ready to overcome. The Barons searched for the group of guys that could get stops on defense and execute on offense, but that combination couldn't be found today. The bench gave excellent minutes for the Barons, but Greensburg was able to hold onto their lead. 

Inside the Numbers 
-The Barons only forced 4 turnovers in the second half, compared to 15 in the first half
-The Barons shot 26% from 3pt, well below their season average of 37%
-Nicholas Allienello led the team in points and rebounds with 13 and 5 respectively.
-Sean Hickey led the game with 5 steals.
-After struggling early in the year, the Barons shot 81% from the free throw line.

Up Next
The Barons were scheduled to play Kent St. Tuscarawas on Thursday at 1 pm, but that game has been POSTPONED, due to COVID-19 protocol issues amongst the Kent State team. Franciscan will now have some time off to enjoy the Christmas holiday, as they do not return to competition until January 4th at Westminster. This will be their fourth PAC matchup of the 2021-22 season, as the Barons are looking to climb up the PAC standings. The Barons are in search of a big win, as they are on a four game slide, including a pair of conference losses. The Barons are 15 all-time against the Titans, with the Titans winning three in a row, all of which were in New Wilmington, Pa. These two battled twice last season, one being a regular season matchup with the other being the PAC Quarterfinals. Sean Hickey led the Barons in scoring in both contests, as he recorded a career high 41 points in the postseason matchup. 

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