Rachel Nava
Staff Writer
The Franciscan University Barons basketball team overcame the No. 10 seeded Bethany College Bisons at the first Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship game Monday at 7 p.m. with a final score of 108-89.
Finnegan Fieldhouse was filled with students loudly cheering for the Barons.
The game starters were graduate student guard Sean Hickey, sophomore guard Josh Zimmerman, junior guard Aidan Hickey, senior forward Travis Lien, and sophomore forward Nicholas Allienello.
The Barons established themselves in the first half with quick footwork and nine 3-pointers. The final score at the end of the second half was 56-39.
In the second half of the game, the Barons kept up the same pace and stayed ahead of the Bisons. The final score was 108-89, and as soon as the timer ran out on the clock, the Franciscan students flooded the court, cheering on the Barons.
Hickey, who currently holds the university record for scoring most points in a single game, 41, played his last home game and was honored in the last minute of the game.
When Franciscan head coach Joe Wallace called a timeout, the fans gave a loud cheer to acknowledge Hickey’s achievements.
Hickey is third place in all-time points scored for Franciscan basketball with 1,679 points. He is second place for most points scored in a single season with a total of 476 points.
Wallace said, “It was nice to celebrate the career of Sean Hickey; to give him the proper send off in his last home game was special.”
After the game, Wallace said, “We came out focused, and it showed in the way our offense flowed. Our guys made a lot of plays with confidence.”
Sophomore Emily Wolfe said, “I think it’s really great that the students were able to show up for our beloved Baron basketball team. The energy was fire, and I hope the team keeps it up going into their game against Chatham.”
Head coach Joe Wallace also expressed appreciation for the fans, saying, “I want to thank all of the students that showed up. It was absolutely amazing. They were loud, and we gave them a show with offensive firepower.”
The Barons lost the second championship game against Chatham University Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. with a score of 88-73.