Franciscan 85, Penn St. Shenango 74

Franciscan Starters 
Sawyer Butler, Karl Yonkeu, Volodymyr Trotsko, Nathan Richards, Aiden Townsend

How It Happened 
    Franciscan Men's Basketball got back into the win column, as they took down Penn St. Shenango by a score of 85-74 on Friday evening. A trio of Barons scored over 20 points to lead the Barons to the non-conference win.

    The first half was a quick one with both teams pushing the ball up the floor. The Barons were not afraid to shoot the three ball, as they took 24 attempts from beyond the arc and connected on eight of them. Zach Oliver and Sawyer Butler led the Barons at the break with 15 points each. Anthony Covetta made four three-point field goals with 12 points off the bench. Each team led by as many as seven points, but it was a three-point Franciscan lead at the half, by a score of 48-45.

    Oliver remained hot to start the second half with five points before the first media timeout, but the Barons' lead shrank to just two points. Over the next four minutes, the Barons expanded the lead up to 10 points. Butler led the offense in that stretch with five more points to join Oliver with 20+ points. The Lions were able to keep it close and interesting with several fastbreak buckets and timely shots, but the Barons were able to pull away late and make it a double-digit win

Inside the Numbers 
- Zach Oliver had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return to the lineup.
- Butler led the Barons with 26 points and five assists.
- The Barons attempted 39 three-point field goals, their most in a game in program history.
- 11 blocks are the most in a game this season by the Barons.

Up Next 
Franciscan will take some time off for Christmas before making the trip to Juniata. They will compete in the Doc Green Tournament on December 29th and 30th in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. They will take on Stevenson for the first time in program history on the 29th. Depending on the results from Monday, they will then play Juniata or Central Penn. The Barons have not played either of those teams before in program history, but the Barons are seeking their second tournament win of the season, after winning the Oberlin College Tip-Off in November.

Stay Connected 
Be sure to follow Franciscan Athletics on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage.