Franciscan 75, Penn State Fayette 81

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

How It Happened 
    The Barons fired out on a 14-4 run off big three pointers from Allienello, fast-paced offensive transition, and bullying the paint from their center Yann Yonkeu. Often times, the problems with hot starts is false confidence. You hit a few shots and you think every time the ball flies off your hand is going to go in. The opposing Lions also had some strong players that weren't going to throw in the towel after a bad start. The Jenkins/Jones combo got the Lions right back in the game. For the rest of the first half, the Barons found success in the run game and pounding it down low to the centers. Going into half the Barons had a three point lead.
    On the surface the second half appeared to be a defensive collapse. After holding the Lions to only 29 points, they allowed a whopping 52 points. They threw the kitchen sink and every defender at the Lions Jenkins, but no one could figure out how to make him miss. The Barons shooters were ie cold for most of the second half, but they all warmed up at the same time late. Down 10 points with less than a minute remaining, the boys found a way to cut it down to 5. 

Inside the Numbers 
-The Lions shot 44.4% from 3pt
-Nicholas Allienello ties his career high with 5 Offensive Rebounds
-Five Barons scored double digits
-Barons had 13 assists compared to the Lions 7

Up Next 
Franciscan will continue non-conference play at Penn State Beaver on Saturday. The Barons are 1-2 all-time against them, as they are in search of their first win over them since 2008. These two teams squared off in the 2021-22 season with the Lions winning 91-82. Justin Mack led the way for the Barons in defeat with 21 points and five made three-point attempts. The Lions are already 1-1 on the season, as they defeated Bryant & Stratton by three on Sunday November 5th. Last season, they held an 8-18 record with seven of their wins coming in conference play. 

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