Franciscan 63, Bethany 85

Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Sawyer Butler, Derrick Derrow, Karl Yonkeu, Yann Yonkeu 

How It Happened 
    Since joining the PAC, the Barons have only lost to Bethany once until last night. Early in the game, the Barons suffered a significant amount of miscues on the defensive end in both transition and in the half court. These easy buckets complimented the three point shooting of the Bison. From the tip, the Barons put themselves in a 12-0 hole. After the miscues were sorted out they clawed themselves back into the game. For the remainder of the first half and the first 13 minutes of the second half it was a slugfest of hard rebounding and in-your-face ball pressure. The Franciscan game was a simple slow grind. For most of the time it appeared they were in control. They swept up on the glass and made the Bison work for every inch. However, just when it seemed like the Barons were taking over and starting to create a lead, the Bison found a way to force a turnover or make a big play on the offensive end keeping them in the game. 
    Play remained back and forth at a high pace of play until seven minutes remaining in regulation. From that point "the wheels fell off". Allienello and Ciola each picked up their 5th foul and the lack of forwards on the floor led to nine Bison offensive rebounds in the second half. To close out the game, the Bison went on a 30-9 run and there was no answer from the Barons. The lack of offensive production from some key players hurt any chances of mounting a comeback. As a result, the Barons are now 0-1 in conference play.

Inside the Numbers 
-Barons were led by freshman Sawyer Butler who scored his first career double-double (15 pts, 11 rebs)
-Franciscan shot a dismal 31% from the field
-48 of their 63 points came in the paint
-Allienello had a team-high 16 points in his 13 minutes

Up Next 
Franciscan will continue PAC play this Saturday at Thiel. The Barons are just 1-5 all-time against the Tomcats, but the lone win came in their last meeting. Franciscan won 82-75 last season in Steubenville. Josh Zimmerman led the way with 22 points, and Colton Hage added 19 with a trio of made three-pointers. Thiel was picked to finish 5th in the PAC from the Preseason Coaches' Poll. They are off to a slow start this season but have been tested in non-conference play with a tough schedule, including against #18 Carthage. 

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