Franciscan 80, Allegheny 56
Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Travis Lien, Colton Hage, Yann Yonkeu, Tristan McDannell
Allegheny Starters
Hinckley, Barker, Wilder, Lang, Turk
How It Happened
The Franciscan Barons suffered their 3rd straight loss at the hand of the Allegheny Gators in their 56-80 defeat on Saturday afternoon at Steubenville High school.
The 1st half was a back-and-forth game between both teams until the 7th minute when the Gators broke the stalemate and went up by six points. From this minute on the Barons knew they would have to claw their way back to erase the deficit. Veteran Travis Lien led the Barons with 11 points in the first half and made his presence felt as he was all over the court.
During the 2nd period, the Barons clawed their way back for the 14-point deficit. Lien was once again the man behind the magic and helped the Barons cut their deficit down to six points, five minutes into the 2nd half. Although the Barons persevered against the Gators, they could not sustain these efforts. After letting up a couple of three-point shots by the Gators, this erased the Barons momentum and ultimately effected the outcome.
The biggest takeaway from this game was the number of 2nd-chance points the two teams. The Gators were able to capitalize on missed shots and scored 17 points while the Barons only had two. This stat alone proved to be a big factor in this weekend's conference match.
Inside the Numbers
-Travis Lien led the Barons with 19 points scoring
-Tristan McDannell was the only other Baron in double-digit scoring with 11 points
-The Barons had 7 assists compared to 18 turnovers
-The Barons were out-rebounded 38-45
-Freshmen Frank Bellissimo made his first career 3-pointer
Up Next
Franciscan will return to action on Wednesday against Division I, Saint Francis, in Loretto, Pa. This will be the fifth time that these two teams have played in the modern Franciscan Division III era, but these teams have a long history going back into the College of Steubenville days. From 1947-1975 these two teams played each other 34 times. The last win for the Barons came in the 1966-67 season by a score of 64-48. Their last win in Loretto was in the 1964-65 season. The Red Flash hold a losing record so far this season, as they have played a tough non-conference slate so far.
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