Thiel 93, Franciscan 83
Franciscan Starters
Noah Griffin, Sean Hickey, Jonathan Sigler, Joe Vernau, and Dalton Davis
Thiel Starters
Kyiam Exum, John Aarestrup, Daquan Simmons, Andre Williams, and Ahmad Tejumola
How It Happened
Before the game, Franciscan honored its five senior player in a ceremony that included videos from each of their loved ones that could not be in attendance.
The Barons got off to a quick start when Dalton Davis connected on a 3-pointer for the Barons first basket of the game. The Tomcats would answer with a 6-0 run, before Nick Allienello connect on his first 3-pointer of the game. Trailing by seven, Noah Griffin would come away with a steal and go coast-to-coast for the transition layup. Josh Zimmerman would follow with a steal of his own, converting the transition layup, and drawing a foul for a 3-point play. Allienello would cap off the run with his second 3-pointer, putting the Barons ahead 16-15. Justin Mack would get into the act with a deep 3-pointer putting Franciscan ahead 19-17.
With the game tied at 19, Sean Hickey would cut through the defense for a layup, becoming Franciscan's Modern Era Points leader in the process. Hickey passed Keoni Sablan with his 1,094 point.
The Tomcats would answer back with an 8-0 run to jumping out to a six-point lead. Mack would cut into the deficit connecting on his second deep 3-pointer of the half. Allienello would follow with another 3-pointer, but Thiel would answer using their size to score in the interior. The Barons would keep pace with Tomcats behind 3-pointers from Hickey and Mack, but found themselves trailing 55-48 at the half.
After falling behind by 10 early in the second half, Franciscan would begin to chip away at Thiel's lead. Zimmerman would open second half scoring with a jumper. After connecting on a pair of free throws, Hickey would connect on a 3-pointer pulling Franciscan back with five-points. Later in the half, Hickey would again connect from behind the arc, pulling the Barons within two. Thiel answered back recapturing a six-point lead which they held until the ten minute mark, where Mack connect from behind the arc to put Franciscan within three-points. Zimmerman followed by slashing to the basket to bring Franciscan within a point. As they did most of the night, Thiel answered with a 5-0 run, to regain control of the game. The Tomcats would build the lead to as large as 10-points, putting the game out of reach for the Barons.
Historical Note
Midway through the first half, Sean Hickey passed Keoni Sablan becoming Franciscan's Modern Era Career Points Leader with 1,094 points.
Inside the Numbers
- Josh Zimmerman had another career high, scoring 20 points on 9-13 shooting from the field. Zimmerman also recorded a double-double hauling in 10 rebounds
- Justin Mack netted 19 points, knocking down five 3-pointers
- Senior Sean Hickey also reached double figures scoring 19 points
- Freshman Nicholas Allienello scored a career high 18 points
- Thiel was led in scoring by Ahmad Tejumola who scored 21 points
- The Tomcats won the battle on the boards, out rebounding Franciscan 47-38
Who's Next?
Franciscan heads back on the road as they take on Geneva on Saturday. It will be their regular season finale. The Barons are 2-3 all-time against the Golden Tornadoes with a 59-61 loss last season in Beaver Falls. The last Franciscan win came in 2018 by the score of 69-66. Sean Hickey scored 15 points while connecting on a trio of three pointers to help the Barons earn the victory.
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