Franciscan 80, Penn State Behrend 65

Franciscan Starters 
Sawyer Butler, Karl Yonkeu, Zach Oliver, Nathan Richards, Thomas Kristian 

How It Happened 
    For the first time since leaving the AMCC, the Barons faced the perennial powerhouse Penn State Behrend Lions. Before today, the Barons were 2-22 all-time vs PS Behrend. This time, the Lions faced a very different looking Barons than what they saw in the AMCC days. The length and athleticism was too much for the Lions to handle. The constant pressure from the press caused numerous errors and also showed up in unforced errors even when the press was off. 
    For perspective the other two Baron wins were by two and three in 2019 and 2009. Today they led by as many as 20. This was the largest lead this program has ever had on Behrend. The obvious scouting report was to try and shut down top scorer Sawyer Butler, which they didn't, but the nightmare became the challenge of how do you focus on Butler while guarding the constant offensive threats of Yonkeu, Oliver, and Pollaro. Sometimes you can survive the onslaught and seek respite when those players sit down. This is usually why basketball is described as a game of runs, but no such respite was available. Freshman Covetta came off the bench and knocked down two heartbreaking shots in the second half that calmed any hope Behrend had of coming back. 
    
Inside the Numbers 
- Butler is top of the PAC in pts/gm 5.0/game ahead of Lang from Allegheny
- The Barons are 2nd in the PAC in scoring and scoring margin
- Barons shot a season-high 51% from the field and just shy of 50% from 3pt
- Pollaro had the most efficient game scoring 13 pts in 24 mins off 5-7 shooting and 3-4 from 3pt

Up Next 
Franciscan returns to action next Saturday at Penn State Altoona. This will be the first time that they take on this AMCC foes in a non-conference setting since joining the PAC in 2020.

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