Men's Basketball | 3/7/2026 9:20:00 PM
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (pacathletics.org) - A successful season for the Franciscan University men's basketball team came to a close Saturday with a 66-56 loss at New Jersey City University in the opening round of the ECAC Tournament.
The fourth-seeded Barons suffered through a cold-shooting performance, connecting on just 29 percent (20-70) for the game, including only 6-of-36 from the arc. The fifth-seeded Gothic Knights (15-12), who took just seven three-pointers in the game, made 47 percent (22-47) of their attempts from the field and finished the game with a 38-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Three players scored in double figures for Franciscan, led by sophomore guard Nathan Richards (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) with a team-high 13 points off the bench. Freshman guard Zachary Pollaro (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) tallied 12 points and added a team-high four steals as well.
Junior guard Sawyer Butler (Beaver, Pa./Beaver), the Presidents' Athletic Conference Player of the Year, put together another solid stat line as well with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. He finished his junior campaign with 601 total points, a single-season Franciscan record.
The Barons completed the season with a 21-7 record, the program's first 20-win season since 1972-73. Franciscan also reached the PAC Tournament semifinals for the first time and earned an ECAC Tournament bid for the second year in a row and third time overall.