Franciscan 66, Washington & Jefferson 61
Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Nicholas Allienello, Derrick Derrow, Karl Yonkeu, Sawyer Butler
How It Happened
Last night was the seventh time Franciscan has faced off against W&J since joining the PAC. For the first time in that stint, Franciscan walked away with a victory. The Barons and Presidents are a clash of styles. The Barons are a hard-edged go through style basketball. The Presidents' prefer shooting contests and gentlemen's agreements on defense. These games are always heated and it is obvious neither of these teams enjoy playing each other.
The Barons had a tight defensive game plan lined up. The sound of "Match Up!!!" still rings in my ear. The Presidents' rely on their press for defense and easy opportunities comboed with good perimeter shooting to outscore opponents. However, ten minutes into the game the Barons held them to under 15 points. Late in the first half the press gave the Barons some trouble and they started racking up turnovers. With three minutes remaining they were down 9. Thanks to stout team defense and Josh Zimmerman in transition, the Barons narrowed that lead to 3 going into half.
A surge mid-second half off three point shooting from Frank Bellisimo, Sawyer Butler, Josh Zimmerman, and Nicholas Allienello gave the boys a 10 point lead. The Barons now had to hang on to their lead for four minutes and go home celebrating. Other than a slight hiccup of two possessions with back-to-back turnovers, the Barons controlled the ball, hit their free throws, and put away the Presidents.
Inside the Numbers
-Josh Zimmerman was one rebound shy of a double-double. He is 4th in the PAC in rebounding
-Yann Yonkeu had a career high 3 blocks
-The 47% from behind the line is the best perimeter shooting for the Barons so far this season
Up Next
Franciscan will have 10 days between games, as they do not play until Saturday December 16th at home. They will host Westminster at 3:00 p.m. The Barons fell to the Titans in a pair of game last season, including a 77-74 battle in Steubenville. Travis Lien scored 23 points with four made three pointers, as the Barons had a nine-point halftime lead disappear in the second half. The Titans have had an up and down start to the season, but they have yet to win an away game this season.
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