Franciscan 51, Chatham 66

Franciscan Starters
Frank Bellissimo, Sawyer Butler, Aiden Townsend, Travis Zimmerman, Josh Zimmerman

How It Happened 
    Nathan Richards made a layup at 13:13 in the first half. The next Baron field goal wasn't made until Townsend's layup with 2:13 remaining in the half. That scoring drought put the Barons in a 15 point deficit that the Chatham Cougars held for the remainder of the game.
    A strong defensive effort kept the Barons in pace with their opponent. The Cougars are one of the top offenses in the PAC averaging 75 points/game. Their scoring is founded in their 3pt shooting. They sit atop the conference in 3pt's made with 104 on the year. Franciscan held them well below their average in the first half only allowing 32 points even though the Cougars converted 5 three's and shot 50%. This effort continued in the second half. Stifling defense put the Barons in small run situations, but they would give small runs back with missed assignments and blown coverage on actions. 
    Mid-second half the Barons brought it to within seven. They strung together great defensive possessions and made up for a poor shooting night by being all over the offensive glass. Specifically, Travis Zimmerman and Karl Yonkeu. The run to get the Barons to within seven involved both of them on the floor giving the Barons second, third, and sometimes a fourth chance to score. Zimmerman finished with a game-high 7 offensive rebounds and K. Yonkeu right behind with 6. Ultimately, Franciscan ended regulation in the same 15 point hole they dug early in the first half.
    Now 3-4 in the PAC and sitting in eighth place, the constant for the Barons is that their lenth and athleticism is headache inducing for opponents. Tonight was a down night, but for the first time since joining the PAC the Barons are consistently physically superior when they take the floor. It's a constant learning process as the players learn how to leverage that advantage. There are three more teams in the PAC for the Barons to play before they begin the second round through the conference. I fully suspect round 2 to be an improvement in the record column.

Inside the Numbers 
-Travis Zimmerman and Karl Yonkeu combined 13 O-rebs is just two shy of the entire Cougar team
-Only one Baron made it to double-digit scoring (J. Zimmerman 11)
-The Barons were 57% from the FT line
-Karl Yonkeu had a game-high 4 assists

Up Next 
Franciscan returns to action on Saturday when they travel to NCAA Division II Wheeling. It will be an exhibition for the Barons, but it will count as a regular season contest for the Cardinals. Wheeling is 5-6 with a 1-4 record in conference play. This will be their first game since December 17th when they beat Bryant and Stratton by a score of 92-56.

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