Franciscan 85, Thiel 88
Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Travis Lien, Colton Hage, Nicholas Allienello, Yann Yonkeu
Thiel Starters
Ellerbee, Tejumola, Hooper, Barnes, Exum
How It Happened
After a tumultuous situation with the Finnegan Fieldhouse, Franciscan went back on the road to face Thiel College. The Tomcats have been a difficult opponent in the past, as Franciscan is 0-5 against them all time. Unfortunately, the losing streak would continue as the Barons were barely edged out in a heartbreaking 85-88 defeat. Despite the heroics of Travis Lien, who hit a clutch three with 5 seconds left to cut the deficit to 2, Franciscan was unable to come away with the win.
The Barons played their offense to perfection, going on a massive 17-2 run to start the game. As Josh Zimmerman brought the ball up halfcourt, Travis Lien quickly cut to the basket from the baseline to score the first points of the game. The Barons' defense was key to this run, forcing Tomcats turnovers to enable transition buckets. A steal from Travis Lien and a defensive rebound from Josh Zimmerman enabled Colton Hage to drain back-to-back threes. Another steal, this time from Joseph Ciola, allowed Nicholas Allienello to hit a three of his own. In just 5 minutes of play, the Barons were already up 15 points, but the game was far from over. The Tomcats went on an 8-0 run, clawing their way back into the competition. Yann Yonkeu ended the scoring drought with an assist from Aidan Hickey, but Thiel continued their offensive onslaught. With 8 minutes left in the first half, the score was tied 25-25. Josh Zimmerman helped spark the struggling offense, snatching a steal to land a floater for the and-1. The next 4 minutes were the Zimmerman show. The junior guard assisted Nicholas Allienello for his second three of the night. Zimmerman then land back-to-back buckets in the paint. Frank Bellissimo drained one from downtown, assisted by guess who? Josh Zimmerman. Despite this offensive success, the Barons ended the half down 47-49.
Both teams struggled to score to start the second half. Every basket had to be earned, whether it was in transition or from an assist. With 11 minutes left, the Barons went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 61 apiece. For the next two minutes, Franciscan suffered from a scoring drought, allowing the Tomcats to reclaim the lead. With only 40 seconds left in the game, The Barons were down 7 points. Still, it was a winnable situation, the team just had to play their cards right. Frank Bellissimo sank a shot to cut the lead down to 5, but the Wildcats responded with a bucket of their own. After a layup from Josh Zimmerman, Travis Lien knocked down a clutch three, and the Barons were only down 2. After the Wildcats hit a free throw, with 4 seconds remaining, Aidan Hickey tried a three to tie it up, only to miss. It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise exciting game.
Many players had excellent performances despite the Baron loss. Travis Lien continues to lead the way, dropping a double-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Josh Zimmerman was everywhere on the court, adding in 19 points on an incredible 70% efficiency, along with 3 steals, and a team leading 6 assists. Frank Bellissimo played well off the bench, contributing 14 points, going 2-3 from three. The team played well in transition, scoring 29 points off turnovers. Unfortunately, the Baron defense struggled to get stops without fouling. The Tomcats attempted a staggering 34 free throws, hitting 24 of them. Franciscan, for comparison, attempted 11 the entire game. Now, the Barons look to return home for their next game against University of Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday, December 10.
Inside the Numbers
-Travis Lien's 26 points and 10 rebounds is his second double-double of the season
-Frank Bellissimo's 14 points is his first game in double digits and season-high
-the Barons were 60% from the 3pt line in the first half, but only 9% in the second
-the Barons had a season-high 54 points in the paint.
-After grabbing only 3 offensive rebounds vs Geneva, the Barons grabbed 11 last night
Up Next
The Barons will return home on Saturday for their first game of the season in Finnegan Fieldhouse. They will take on, a former conference foe, Pitt.-Greensburg at noon. The Barons are 8-17 all-time against the Bobcats with losses in their last three meetings. The Barons will try to flip the script this season. The Bobcats are 3-4 thus far with a win over Grove City, who the Barons have already played once this season. They fell to Geneva and play Waynesburg on Thursday before traveling to Steubenville.
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