Franciscan University Barons Athletics

Franciscan 64, Penn State Beaver 62

Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Nicholas Allienello, Derrick Derrow, Joseph Ciola, Yann Yonkeu 

How It Happened 
    The Barons clawed their way back from down over 10 in the second half to win by two and grab the first win of the season. The Beaver Lions pressed the entire game and played a high pressure half court zone defense. Initially the Barons struggled handling the defensive pressure. The first ten minutes of the game were responsible for a large portion of the games's 23 turnovers. 
    The difference in success came at the rim. The backcourt duo of veteran Josh Zimmerman and freshmen Sawyer Butler were the key to breaking the pressure. That was the foundation of the Barons rally. After the full court pressure was neutralized the length and size of the Barons overwhelmed the Lions. They couldn't find a way to defend the rim, and the Yonkeu brothers, Zimmerman, and Butler put all but one of the Lion starters in foul trouble. The difference in talent on the floor eventually overcame. The Barons took a small lead late on the second half. The Lions managed to tie it with seconds left, but Zimmerman ad libbed the offense and hit a runner over three defenders to regain the lead. The Lions had the ball with 3 seconds remaining. Their full court play got them a shot off, but the Barons defended it well and grabbed their first win of the year.

Inside the Numbers 
-Zimmerman got his first double-double of the year
-freshmen Karl Yonkeu and Sawyer Butler each scored double digits for the first time in their careers
-The Barons had 34 bench points and 38 points in the paint

Up Next 
Franciscan will shift into PAC play on Wednesday when they travel to Bethany. The Barons are 6-8 all-time against the Bison, including wins in their last four matchups. Last year at Bethany, the Barons won by a score of 69-57. Travis Lien led the way with 28 points on 10-19 shooting. The Barons came out hot early, as they held a 15 point lead at the half and held on to it to win by 12 points. 

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