Waynesburg 90, Franciscan 71 

Franciscan Starters 
Christian Nguyen, Noah Griffin, Josh Zimmerman, Sean Hickey, Joe Vernau

Waynesburg Starters 
Bryson Wilt, Ryan Felberg, Briston Bennett, Isaiah Alonzo, Jansen Knotts

How It Happened 
The Franciscan Men's Basketball team (1-2) built a first half lead, but fell in a hard fought battle in their home opener to Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) foe Waynesburg (1-3) on Wednesday February 17 by a score of 90-71. 

Sean Hickey powered Franciscan's offense in the first half connecting on five 3-pointers and scoring 17 of his 18 points in the half. After falling behind by six early, Nicholas Allienello connected on an early 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to pull the Barons back within a possession. The teams would trade the lead back-and-forth, as the there were 13 first half lead change. Tristan McDannell connected on a 3-pointer to give the Barons a 26-24, part of his 14 point outing. Trailing 35-34 in the final minutes of the half, Noah Griffin connected on a contested jump shot in the paint and then drew a foul on the next possession, converting on a pair of free throws to put Franciscan ahead by three points. The Barons would hold a 38-36 advantage heading into the half. 

Waynesburg would come out strong in the second half, capitalizing on their interior size advantage to open the half on a 15-3 run. The Yellow Jackets scored 56 points in the paint and were led in scoring by Ryan Felberg who scored a game-high 21 points.  Josh Zimmerman would stop the run connecting on a layup and McDannell followed with a 3-pointer to close within nine-points. After a Yellow Jackets 3-pointer, Zimmerman would storm to the basket, but this time he kicked the ball out to a open Christian Nguyen for a corner three-pointer to keep the deficit at nine. Franciscan would continue its high pressure defense throughout the rest of the half, forcing 16 Waynesburg turnovers, but the Barons could not get any closer eventually falling 90-71. 

Inside the Numbers 
- Sean Hickey led all Barons in scoring with 18 points, connecting five times from beyond the arc
- Tristan McDannell reached double figures scoring 14 points and going 4-4 at the line
- Josh Zimmerman also scored 14 points for the Barons
- Christian Nguyen and Noah Griffin each added nine points
- Nicholas Allienello pulled in a career high 10 rebounds
- Waynesburg was led in scoring by Ryan Felberg who scored 21 points on 7-14 shooting
- The Yellow Jackets controlled the paint holding a 54-27 rebounding advantage and they scored 56 points in the paint

Who's Next? 
Franciscan will travel to Washington, Pa and take on the Presidents. The Barons are 2-2 all-time against the Presidents. The two squared off in last year's season opening game, as the Barons fell in a heartbreaker 66-64. Sean Hickey led all scorers with 20 points in defeat. Zach Queen led the way for the Presidents with 15 points, including a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining that proved to be the difference maker. 

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