STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Thiel College men's basketball team lost a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game Saturday on the road to the Franciscan Barons, 61-59.
 
Franciscan led by a bucket at halftime (31-29) and went on to lead to lead by as many as seven points in the second half. Thiel's first lead in the second half came with 7:44 remaining in regulation when Jonah Biggers (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) made a pair of free throws.
 
With less than a minute remaining and the game tied (59-59), Thiel missed a potential game-winning three-pointer with 19 seconds left on the clock.
 
A foul sent Sawyer Butler to the charity stripe with 13 seconds remaining, and Butler made both attempts to give the Barons the lead. Thiel's final shot to tie the game with six seconds remaining was off the mark, and Franciscan held on for the conference win.
 
Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) led Thiel with a game-high 18 points. Ethan Barnes (Boynton Beach, Fla./Suncoast) scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds. Rayshod Hooper (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy) scored 10 points and corralled six rebounds.
 
Josh Zimmerman scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to record a double-double for Franciscan. Butler scored 11 points while contributing seven rebounds. Yann Yonkeu registered 10 rebounds and scored seven points.
 
Thiel will take on the Allegheny Gators on the road Wednesday. The PAC game is slated for an 8 p.m. start.