Franciscan 54, Washington & Jefferson 68

Franciscan Starters
Josh Zimmerman, Sawyer Butler, Karl Yonkeu, Frank Bellissimo, Travis Zimmerman 

How It Happened 
    Tonight the Barons hosted many Ohio Valley veterans and first responders dedicating their game to those that have served or currently serve in the military, fire, and police force. Coming into the night, the Baron offense had been clicking. In their storied 4-0 start to the year, they averaged 77.5 pts/game. The visiting Washington & Jefferson College Presidents' full court pressure clogged up the actions and movement. This led to low percentage shots, a lack of perimeter scoring, and a low-scoring 54 point affair. 
    Out of the gun, the full court press phased the Barons none. Likewise, on their defensive end, the length and athleticism was crippling for the Presidents. Travis Zimmerman crowded driving lanes, affected shot attempts, and swallowed every loose ball. The Barons jumped out to an early four point lead and forcing a very early timeout out of the visitors. After a little bit of trading baskets, Aidan Townsend knocked down a jumper to give the Barons a five point lead five minutes into the game. From that point the full court pressure slowly became more and more troublesome, and the turnovers began to add up. That lead vanished over the next ten minutes, and with eight minutes remaining in the half, the Presidents took a one point lead. That was the final lead change of the game. The Presidents never relinquished the lead back to the Barons.
    Two shining bright spots on the night both revolved around Josh Zimmerman. Just before half he scored his fifth point on the night surpassing John Blanda to become seventh all-time in scoring. Then late in the second half, just before fouling out, he recorded his sixth assist becoming the program's all-time leader in assists. 
    Looking forward there's a consistency in this squad that you should count on. They are an in your face defensive-minded team. Sometimes overly-zealous and aggressive, but a hard team to get through. In their four wins to start the year, they held teams to 65pts/game. W&J is traditionally a potent offensive team. They are used to scoring high numbers. The Barons held them to a suppressive 68 points. As this season moves on expect offense efficiency to pick up and these game scores to switch. All in all things are looking up for "the Boys".

Inside the Numbers 
-The Barons were 1-9 from 3pt
-Travis Zimmerman had a game-high 13 rebounds
-The President's tallied up 13 blocks

Up Next 
Franciscan continues PAC play on Saturday as they head to Grove City. The Barons are 5-13 all-time against the Wolverines, as they split their games last season. The home team won both games, as Franciscan won 78-77 in Finnegan Fieldhouse. Nicholas Allienello drilled a three pointer with 18 seconds to play that held on as the game-winning bucket. He scored 20 points on 5-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Sawyer Butler had his first breakout game of his career with 30 points while coming off the bench. 

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