STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Jan. 31) – Host Franciscan University used a hot first half to defeat Saint Vincent 86-66 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference men's basketball matchup
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Franciscan shot a blistering 56 percent from the field over the opening 20 minutes to race out to a 17-point halftime lead, and the deficit was too much to overcome for SVC as it dropped the road decision.

Dominic Jennings scored 15 points, and Osyon Jones and Jayven Millien 13 apiece to lead the Bearcats, while Diego Martinez paced Saint Vincent with six rebounds.

Franciscan jumped out to a 14-11 lead in the first six minutes of play, with Jennings single handedly keeping the Bearcats in the game, as he accounted for all 11 points.

The Barons would then pull away, scoring 10 unanswered points over a three-minute span to take a 24-11 lead with 11:21 left in the half. Jennings would then score his 13^th straight point, before a three-pointer by Millien brought SVC back to within single digits, 24-16, with just over 10 minutes remaining until the intermission.

Franciscan's fast-paced offense answered back with another big run, out-scoring SVC 9-2 over the next three minutes to open up a 33-18 advantage with 7:20 left in the half. The teams would then trade baskets over the remainder of the half, with Franciscan taking a 49-32 lead into the break.

While the Barons connected on 21 of 37 attempts from the field in the opening frame, the Bearcats shot a respectable 46 percent (13-for-28), but were hampered by Franciscan's 24-11 edge in rebounding, including nine Baron offensive boards.

Jones hit a long three-pointer and Martinez connected on an offensive put-back to pull the Bearcats back to within 12, 49-37, 90 seconds into the second half. However, the Barons again answered with another big offensive flurry, embarking on a 14-2 run over the next five minutes to open up their largest lead of the night, 63-39, with 12:30 to go in regulation. The surge essentially put the game away for the hosts, as the Bearcats could get no closer than to within 17 points the rest of the way.

Both teams ended the evening with similar shooting percentages, with the Bearcats firing at a 45 percent clip (28-for-62) to the Barons' 47 percent mark (36-for-46). Franciscan, however, connected on 10 three-pointers to Saint Vincent's four. The Barons out-rebounded the Bearcats 46-34 for the game, with 18 offensive rebounds leading to 21 second-chance points.


Six players scored in double figures for Franciscan, led by 14 points apiece from Josh Zimmerman and Sean Hickey.

The Bearcats will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 2, hosting PAC foe Bethany College in a 7:30 PAC battle in the Robert S. Carey Student Center. Spectators will be permitted, and masking will be required.