Game #12
Franciscan (8-3 | 3-3 PAC) vs. Chatham (8-3 | 5-1 PAC) 
Tuesday, Dec. 31st | 2:00 p.m.
Finnegan Fieldhouse | Steubenville, Ohio

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The Latest
- Franciscan last took the floor on December 21st in the MBC Blue Collar Ball Classic Presented by 165 Ventures. They took care of Penn State Shenango by a score of 83-44 to improve to an overall record of 8-3.

- Frank Bellissimo led a all scorers with 25 points on 7-14 shooting from beyond the arc. His seven made three-point field goals is a career high for him and it tied the program record for most made by a Baron in a game.

- Sawyer Butler and Aiden Townsend scored 14 and 12 points as well. 16 different Barons got to play in the victory.

Scouting the Cougars
- Chatham last played on 12/19 and 12/20 down in Nashville, Tenn. in the Music City Classic. They defeated Carthage 62-60, but fell to Lancaster Bible 92-88. 

- Their 5-1 mark in PAC games is best in the league, as just them and Grove City (4-1) are the only one-loss teams in the league. They are also an impressive 5-0 on the road with three of those being PAC contests.

- A pair of juniors have led their offense so far this season. Diaun Pinkett leads the Cougars at 15.5 ppg, and Lovenson Xavier is averaging 14.3 points per game.

Sawyer Steering the Ship
- Sawyer Butler leads the Barons in scoring at 18.6 ppg this season. The sophomore is averaging 18.0 ppg against PAC foes this season. Chatham's Pinkett leads the PAC in this stat at 19.7 ppg

- This season he is the lone Baron to score in double digits in each of their 11 games. He has scored 20+ points in six games, including a season-high 27 points against Penn St. New Kensington. 
 
Defense Defense Defense
- Franciscan has allowed 65.1 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 40.6%. 

Non-Conference Sweep
- Franciscan went 5-0 in non-conference games this season. They will take on Wheeling on Saturday, but it will be an exhibition contest against the local NCAA Divsion II team.
 
Mr. Zimmerman Tracker 
- Josh Zimmerman enters this game with 1,244 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 295, and he is the program's all-time leader in steals with 216.

- He sits 12th all-time in rebounding with 628 boards, as he just passed Fr. Tim Hirten '75. Bill Linderman '71 sits in 11th with 672 rebounds.  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 102 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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