Franciscan 90, Penn St. Fayette 95
Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Travis Lien, Colton Hage, Benjamin Klement, Tristan McDannell
Penn St. Fayette Starters
Jones, Jenkins, Forbes, Boring, Boyd
How It Happened
The Barons kicked their 2022-23 season off on the road vs Penn State Fayette. The Lions team lacked depth. Only six players see over 10 minutes a game with four averaging over 30. The Barons needed to use their high pace of play to wear down the opponents and punish them for their lack of depth. The Barons started off hot jumping out to an 8-2 lead. Tristan McDannell found his way into the paint at will. After 5 minutes of play, the opponents figured out how to guard the drive-n-kick offense. This forced the Barons to take lower percentage shots and turn the ball over 3 times in 30 seconds. These types of offensive possessions lead to quick offensive transition opportunities. The highly athletic Lions were able to pick up quick easy points avoiding the teeth of the Barons press and half court defense and take a 13 point lead with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. A full timeout and five man wave substitution gave a lift to the Barons offense. They sent more guys back after shots to prevent the leak out and made the Lions work the full 94' to get a score. This approach paid off. In the remaining 10 minutes of play the Barons went on a 38-14 run to end the half up by 11.
Sending 2 guys back after a shot instead of one was a great adjustment from coach Wallace, but Penn State had their own adjustment in the second half. They played 2-3 zone against a team that shot 37% from 3pt last season. "A bold strategy Cotton!" were the thoughts from the bench, but it paid off. The Barons went 2-16 from 3pt in the second half. A 12.5% shooting percentage which is a third of what their used to. Coach attributed to too much selflessness. Typically not something a coach would be upset with, but when top offensive threats turn down open midrange looks the result is contested three's. Contested three's turn into long rebounds, and the Lions went on another run of easy transition points. Sitting in the zone and getting easy transition points killed the game plan of wearing down a team lacking depth. In the final minutes the Barons cut it to within 2 points, but missed free throws pushed them into fouling territory and the Lions extended their lead win 95-90.
Inside the Numbers
-Josh Zimmerman and Colton Hage led the Barons with 16 pts each
-Yann Yonkeu led the Barons in rebounds with 7
-The Barons had a negative turnover ratio of 5
-The Barons shot 41.3% from the field, 24.1% from three, and 53.8% from the free throw line
-15 different players saw action on the floor.
Up Next
Franciscan will return home to take on Saint Vincent at Steubenville Big Red High School on Wednesday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. This will be the first PAC conference game of the year for both teams. Franciscan holds a 36-16 record against the Bearcats in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1948. In recent history, the Barons have won the last three matchups, including two last season. This will be the Bearcats fourth game of the 2022-23 season, as they are off to a hot start with a pair of wins already.
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