No. 14 Cougars Tame No. 2 Wildcats in Top-15 Showdown

MARION, Ind. - The No. 14 University of Saint Francis Cougars battled to a 64-56 upset win over No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday, February 8. With the win, the Cougars improved to 11-3 in Crossroads League play. 

Saint Francis wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Chloe McKnight sinking a shot from deep at the 9:42 mark of the first quarter. USF held Indiana Wesleyan scoreless for the first five and a half minutes of the opening quarter, jumping out to a 10-0 lead. As time ran out in the first quarter, the Cougars made a layup for a 17-4 advantage going into the second. In the second quarter, Saint Francis extended its lead to 14 points at the 5:53 mark. However, Indiana Wesleyan rallied and cut the Cougars' lead to eight points, bringing the score to 28-20 with just 1:12 left in the first half. A three-pointer at the buzzer put USF ahead 31-24 at halftime.

The Wildcats' offense started the second half stronger, going on an 8-0 run to tie the score at 31-31 at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter. The Cougars answered, scoring on back-to-back possessions to retake the lead. Two free throws from Indiana Wesleyan brought the game within one point at the 1:28 mark of the third. The Cougars managed to hang on to a 45-42 lead at the end of the third. Saint Francis scored on their two opening possessions of the fourth quarter for a five-point advantage at the 9:14 mark. After Indiana Wesleyan cut USF's lead to three points, the Cougars went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to seven. Saint Francis would hold off Indiana Wesleyan as the Cougars went on to upset the Wildcats by a final score of 64-56. 

Saint Francis shot 51.2% (21-41) from the floor compared to IWU's 36.7 field goal percentage. The Cougars also shot 42.1% (8-19) from three-point range. Isabella Gizzi led Saint Francis with 15 points, followed by Cassidy Crawford with 14 points. Cali Gregory added 13 points and a team-high four assists. McKnight also scored in double digits, finishing with 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds. 

Up next, USF women's basketball (21-3, 11-3) will travel to Mount Vernon, Ohio to take on Crossroads League foe Mount Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday, February 12. USF earned a convincing 84-65 win over MVNU in their first matchup of the season back on January 8.