Franciscan 53, Saint Francis 120

Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Travis Lien, Colton Hage, Yann Yonkeu, Tristan McDannell 

Saint Francis Starters 
Cohen, Land, Hargis, Gregory, Moore

How It Happened 
    As Thanksgiving draws near, the Franciscan Barons and the Saint Francis Red Flash came together to play an exhibition game that celebrates the sister school's shared history. While the Red Flash are play at the Division 1 level, the Barons weren't fazed by the matchup and came into the game ready to compete.    
    After the tip-off, the Red Flash took no time to assert themselves, scoring 15 straight points. Turnovers riddled the Baron's offense, leading to many transition baskets from Saint Francis. Yann Yonkeu finally ended the run with a pump fake and finish at the rim. Now that the offensive engine was warmed up, the Barons started to pass more and find open looks. Travis Lien hit a three pointer, while Colton Hage scored in the midrange. Both points were assisted by Joseph Ciola. 10 minutes in the game, the Red Flash continued to put pressure on the defense, knocking down multiple shots from the perimeter, extending their lead to 20. When the Barons needed a basket, Travis Lien came to the rescue. The 6'6 forward knocked down a fade away jumper along with a pair of free throws, leading the team with 9 points in the first half. Joseph Ciola scored 5 quick points of his own, starting with a layup in the inside along with a spot up three. The Barons ended the first half down 28-64.
    The offense started the second half much more aggressive, cutting to the basket and drawing numerous fouls. Yann Yonkeu was essential for the Baron defense, getting an early steal and grabbing a few important defensive rebounds. But as things started to look up, multiple turnovers helped the Red Flash score 14 straight points. Again, the Barons turned to Travis Lien, who got two quick baskets to end the run. Aiden Hickey caught fire, knocking down a midrange jumper, two free throws, and a triple to get 7 points in four minutes. The Barons led a valiant effort, but in the end, fell to the Red Flash 120-53.
    Travis Lien was the main driver on offense, putting in 15 points and 6 rebounds. Tristan McDannell and Colton Hage chipped in 7 points each. Unfortunately, many shots were not falling. The Barons were an unusually low 27% from the field, while the Red Flash went 59%. On the bright side, the defense forced 14 turnovers for St. Francis. The full court press pressured the Red Flash into making bad decisions, leading to easy transition buckets.
    Today's game was less about who won, and more about treasuring our shared history. Franciscan and St. Francis have been connected to each other ever since their founding, and it's special to celebrate this connection to this day. Now, the Barons hope to learn from this loss for Saturday's game against Hilbert College.


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