Game #11 - MBC Blue Collar Classic Presented by 165 Ventures
Franciscan (7-3 | 3-3 PAC) vs. Penn st. Shenango (2-11 | 1-4 PSUAC) 
Saturday, Dec. 21st | 5:00 p.m.
Finnegan Fieldhouse | Steubenville, Ohio

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The Latest
- Franciscan is hosting a pair of High School games along with their game on Saturday, as they host the MBC Blue Collar Classic Presented by 165 Ventures. Steubenville Catholic Central hosts Weirton Madonna at 3:00 p.m., and Weir High takes on Steubenville Big Red at approximately 7:00 p.m.

- Franciscan comes into this one on limited rest after playing at St. Francis on Thursday night in an exhibition. 

- The Barons took care of business at Allegheny last Saturday but not without making it interesting. Their nine-point lead at the break evaporated in the second half and they trailed late in the game. In the final seconds, Sawyer Butler missed a jumper, but, his high school teammate, Aiden Townsend picked him up with a put back bucket to give the Barons a 73-72 win. 

Scouting the Lions
- They have played a ton so far this season, as they are 2-11 so far, but they will take on Point Park at 7:00 p.m. the night before coming to Steubenville. 

- The Lions and Barons have played four common opponents already this season. They both lost to NCAA Division I Saint Francis, but Franciscan was able to beat Allegheny, Bethany, and Thiel while Penn  State Shenango suffered losses to each of those teams.

- #1 D'Montez Owens is leading the offense at 23.1 ppg while starting in all 13 games so far. He has scored in double-digits in each game, while scoring 30+ points three different times, including a season-high 38 points against Penn St. Mont Alto.

Sawyer Steering the Ship
- Sawyer Butler leads the Barons in scoring at 19.1 ppg this season. The sophomore is averaging 16.3 ppg over his 32 collegiate games played so far.

- This season he is the lone Baron to score in double digits in each of their 10 games. He has scored 20+ points in six games, including a season-high 27 points against Penn St. New Kensington. 

- He has been worth the price of admission by scoring 22.0 ppg in games played at Finnegan Filedhouse this season.

The Last Tango with Shenango
- Last times that these two teams played each other was an all-time classic. Last season, it took triple overtime for the Barons to beat the Lions from Penn State Shenango. Frank Bellissimo had a career had with 28 points and six made three-point field goals, and Josh Zimmerman added 20 points and 12 rebounds. Franciscan won 106-103.
 
Defense Defense Defense
- Franciscan has allowed 67.2 ppg which is best in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) so far. They have held their opponents to the fourth-worst overall field goal percentage at 41.4%. 

- Penn St. Shenango has allowed 80+ points per game this season.

The Penn State Tour
- Franciscan has already played two other Penn State branch campuses this season, and they look to make it a 3-0 mark against them with a win on Saturday.

- They beat Penn St. New Kensington 88-67 in the home opener, and they beat Penn St. Beaver 73-50 at Steubenville High School in the Steubenville Classic. 
 
Mr. Zimmerman Tracker 
- Josh Zimmerman enters this game with 1,241 points to have the seventh most all-time. Don Rogich '79 sits in sixth with 1,394 points. Sean Hickey '21 holds the Franciscan Division III record with 1,692 points, and Paul Brownlee '56 sits atop the all-time rankings with 2,433 points.

-Zimmerman holds a pair of program records. He is top in all-time assists with 28, and he is the program's all-time leader in steals with 213.

- He sits 13th all-time in rebounding with 625 boards. Fr. Tim Hirten '75 is one spot above him with 627 boards over his four years in Steubenville. Matt Trent '20 holds the Franciscan Division III record with 781 rebounds, and "Big" Jim Smith '58 sits atop the rankings and all levels of collegiate basketball with 2,334 rebounds.

- He has played in 101 games so far over his six seasons in Steubenville which is the eighth most ever played by a Baron since 1946. Jim Smith played in the most with 113 over four years for the two-time All-American.

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