Westminster 91, Franciscan 79

Franciscan Starters 
Josh Zimmerman, Sean Hickey, Tristan McDannell, Benjamin Klement, Yann Yonkeu

Westminster Starters 
Ritter, Ritter, Hutcherson, Zupko, James

How It Happened 
    The Barons came back after Christmas Break having not played a game in 15 days. Westminster is the PAC defending conference champions, and Franciscan came in with some big questions; will they be sharp after a long break, with players out will other people step up with increased roles? These questions were immediately answered after tip-off, yes and yes. The freshmen Yann Yonkeu, seeing the first start of his career, won the tip and the Barons took a quick 3pt shot from veteran Sean Hickey. Hickey missed, but the Barons went right into their full-court pressure. The quick shot into their press let Westminster know what the pace was going to be for the next 40 minutes. Ensuing defensive possessions resulted in a steal from Josh Zimmerman, a steal from Sean Hickey, and a block by Yann Yonkeu. Franciscan brought in fresh legs, as is customary, three minutes into the contest. The new five, which included sophomore Joseph Ciola who saw a career high 18 minutes, maintained the tempo. In the first offensive possession, Joseph Ciola made a cut through the lane and posted on the block and knocked down a contested shot. After two minutes, Franciscan put their starters back in the game, and at this point the physical and mental exhaustion became noticeable from the Westminster players. Franciscan showed they were in for a fight. At halftime the score was 46-40 Westminster. 
    For the second half, Franciscan started with the same five that started the game. Josh Zimmerman and Tristan McDannell answered the call to step their game up and be more aggressive. Both players drove the lane at-will either setting up open looks for teammates or finishing themselves. Tristan McDannell, who led the Barons in scoring, consistently drove to the rim pressuring the Westminster defense and the officials. His play was a big part in the Barons putting Daniel Ritter into foul trouble and exiting the game, and bringing Franciscan to within two points with six minutes remaining. The maturity of Westminster prevailed in the closing minutes. Their starting lineup consisted of three seniors, a junior, a sophomore, and no freshmen ever seeing the floor this contest. Franciscan briefly lost focus for three minutes, and although their fight and work ethic were high, the ability to finish near the rim and avoid bad fouls put Westminster on a 15-2 run. Down 13 with three minutes remaining, the Barons forced 5 more turnovers and were in the process of coming back, but time was not on their side. With a minute remaining, the Westminster lead was still 10 and good free throw shooting allowed them to close the game. 

Inside the Numbers 
-Tristan McDannell scored a season-high 22 points
-Josh Zimmerman led the Barons with 4 steals
-Nicholas Allienello led the team in rebounds with 8
-The Barons shot a season-worst 20% from three-point range
-Barons forced 23 turnovers while only having 15 of their own

Up Next
The Barons return home for a Thursday night tip against Washington & Jefferson at 8 pm. They take on the Presidents, who are off to a strong start this season. They are 9-2, including a 4-0 PAC record to sit a top the conference. Franciscan is 2-3 all-time against the Presidents, but they  have not yet beat them in PAC play. Last time they came to Steubenville, the Presidents won on a buzzer beater 66-64 in the 2019-20 season opener. This will be a matchup of the top two offenses in the PAC with W&J leading at 94.2 ppg. They currently have five players averaging 10 points a game or better. 

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