Washington & Jefferson 91, Franciscan 67

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

Washington & Jefferson Starters 
Gearhart, Mitchell, Bigley, Langston, Mazza

How It Happened 
    The Barons had an opportunity to look into the mirror last night. W&J switched their style of play from last year, to a high tempo pressure style this year that is eerily similar to the scheme that the Barons run. The anticipation was high, everyone felt like the game would be a "track meet". At some parts of the game it definitely was, as substitutions from Franciscan often coming after 1-2 minutes, in contrast to the usual 3-4 minutes. The energy from the Franciscan team was palpable from even before tip-off. The Barons got off to a hot 7-2 start on the backs of scoring from Sean Hickey and great defensive pressure from Colton Hage. The Barons pushed the tempo of the game, they defended both the perimeter and the paint well, and attacked the rim on offense. However, the poor shooting from two nights prior was even worse. What felt like an all-Franciscan first half, ended in Franciscan leading only 45-39. The President's were able to hang in the game due to the 38% FG and 25% 3pt of Franciscan in the first half. 
    Franciscan went into the locker room counting their blessing, because even though they were shooting it poorly they still had a six point lead. The second half was a bigger shot to the body than the first half. The Barons shot 16% from the field and 14% from behind the three-point line. The veteran Sean Hickey gave his team everything he had. Sean had 29 points, 4 rebounds, a steal, and an assist on the evening. Though not known for his defense, he even posted a near even scoring differential in his 23 minutes, even though the Barons eventually lost by 24. The end score of this game doesn't give justice to the gritty grind and closeness the game really was. It takes a lot to ask young athletes to play with the passion and energy these guys do for 40 minutes, and for the last 2 games for the most part they have. It takes high heat and fire to mold and shape iron, and this team is molding themselves into a tough team to play. The Barons aren't to be overlooked, and if they're on your schedule, you better be ready to fight for 40 minutes. 

Inside the Numbers 
-The Barons shot 29% from the field
-Sean Hickey's 29 points brings him to 5th all-time in scoring with 1,395 points over his 96 game career. He passed Dan Rogich (1975-1979), who amassed 1,394 points over his 106 game career.
-Barons trailed by seven in the turnover margin, the first time they've had more TO's then their opponents this season
-The Barons held their opponent to under 50% shooting for the second time this season
-Nicholas Allienello led the Barons in rebounding with 11, as he had his first double double of the season.

Up Next
Franciscan's next game was originally schedule to be on Saturday against St. Vincent, but that game has been postponed and moved to January 31st. That means Franciscan will return to action next Wednesday at Geneva. The Barons are 2-4 all-time against the Golden Tornadoes, but still in search of their first conference win against them. Last season Geneva beat Franciscan in Beaver Falls by a score of 129-102. Tristan McDannell dropped a career high 30 points in the loss.

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