Franciscan 106, Penn State Shenango 103
Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Nicholas Allienello, Karl Yonkeu, Sawyer Butler, Alan Wood
How It Happened
Franciscan Men's Basketball hosted Penn State Shenango for the first time in program history, and they did not waste time in making an all-time classic game. For the first time in program history, the Barons would play in a three overtime game. Through the ups and downs of 19 lead changes, the Barons would hold on to win 106-103.
This game had it all, as the Lions would jump out early to a 14-6 lead and appeared to be in total control. Three minutes later, Josh Zimmerman made a bucket to give the Barons the lead at 17-16. The Barons would hold the lead the rest of the first half, as Frank Bellissimo would lead the way for the Barons with 15 points in the opening half.
The Lions would not go anywhere though, as they came out firing in the second half. Each time they looked to be making a run, the Barons would make a big bucket to grab the momentum. Halfway through the second half, the Lions would regain the lead at 59-58. The Barons would answer once again and grow their lead back up to nine with five minutes to play. Owens would get the Lions going, as he scored a game-high 32 points in this one. The Lions would tie it back up at 76-76 with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. Sawyer Butler would then give the Barons the lead with a massive three point shot. Neither team would score until the final seconds when Alston buried an equalizer that would send us to overtime.
Both teams would hold the lead in the first overtime, and the Lions would have a chance to take the lead late, but missed a free throw with 24 seconds remaining. The Barons would get a decent look but not connect to send this to double overtime.
The Barons led by five with a minute remaining in the second overtime after a 5-0 run by Frank Bellisimo, who led the Barons with 28 points off the bench. The Lions would go on a 5-0 run, including another bucket in the final seconds to send us to a third overtime.
The third overtime was the highest scoring of the extra periods, as the teams would trade buckets back and forth. The Lions would be up by one at 103-102 with less than a minute remaining. After a good defensive stop, Allienello would put in a layup to give the Barons the lead. The Barons would the lock up on defense to close out this classic and improve their record to 5-6 heading into Christmas break.
Inside the Numbers
- Josh Zimmerman earned his first triple double of his career with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
- Bellissimo made a career-high six three point field goals while scoring a team-high 28 points.
- 67 rebounds by the Barons are the most in a game in program history.
- 27 assists ties the program record for most ina game
- 103 points in the most the Barons have allowed in a win all-time
Up Next
Franciscan will take some time off for Christmas, as they will not return to competition until December 30th at Wheeling University. This game will be an exhibition game for the Barons, so it will not affect their record or statistics. This will be a tough test against the Division II Cardinals. They will be well rested, as they will have not played since December 13th when these two teams take the court.
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