Franciscan 85, Saint Vincent 72

Franciscan Starters 
Sawyer Butler, Karl Yonkeu, Zach Oliver, Nathan Richards, Aiden Townsend 

How It Happened 
    Franciscan traveled to Latrobe, Pa to face off against the perennial PAC contender St. Vincent Bearcats. This game had huge implications for how the PAC South was going to shake out as teams establish themselves as a leader, contender, or wisher. Normally, the St. Vincent coach is a laid back sociable person pre-game, but last night he had none of that. I caught him pre-game pacing in the hallway avoiding social contact. Which was just a preview to how important this game was.
    It is no surprise now that Sawyer Butler is going to score points. It will be in every coaches nightmare of how they're going to matchup and guard #1. However, when your schemes fail, he scores 38, and you allow two more players in double-digits your chances of success are slim. 
    Every game there are multiple keys that are discussed, but last night the summation of all of them was focus on quality possessions on both ends all game. The Barons did just that. They tallied seven steals while only giving up a stingy 10 turnovers. They shot 52.5% from the floor as a team and excluding Butler still shot a solid 47.5%. On the defensive end they allowed the Bearcats only 44% from the field including an abysmal 37% in the first half. 
    The Barons continue to have a highly efficient offense that distributes the ball well. There are 6-7 players that are capable of scoring double-digits on any given night and often do, because somehow they have the nations leading scorer and a diverse scoring attack. The likes of Townsend, Yonkeu, Richards, Oliver, Pollaro, Ciola, Covetta, and Trotsko are all scoring threats just waiting to punish and opponent for forgetting that. 

                        

Inside the Numbers 
-Townsend scored 11 off a game-high 71 FG%
-Butler and Oliver each had game-high six rebounds
-Yonkeu had his 5th double-digit game of the year

Up Next 
Franciscan will remain on the road this weekend, as they will head north to Grove City. The Barons are 6-14 all-time against the Wolverines, but were able to beat them in their last meeting. That was a 78-66 win in Steubenville last season. The Barons trailed by 10 points at halftime, but the offense exploded for 51 points in the second half. Sawyer Butler scored 33 points to lead the charge in that win. 

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