Saint Francis Opens Season with Two Wins at Cougar Classic
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Viterbo (0-3) | 13 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 46 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (1-0) | 24 | 17 | 27 | 18 | 86 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cornerstone (MI) (1-1, 0-0) | 10 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 45 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (2-0, 0-0) | 28 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 91 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) opened the season by hosting the 2025 Cougar Classic in the Hutzell Athletic Center on October 31-November 1. The Cougars went 2-0 on the weekend, finishing with two dominating wins over Viterbo University and Cornerstone University.
#8 SAINT FRANCIS 86, VITERBO 46
Saint Francis faced the Viterbo V-Hawks (0-3) in game two of the classic on Friday night.
Viterbo started Friday night's game strong, jumping out to a 7-0 run in the opening two minutes. Isabella Gizzi got the scoring started for the Cougars with a three-point shot at the 7:44 mark of the first quarter. The Cougars went 5-6 from deep in the first as Saint Francis took a 24-13 lead. The V-Hawks tried to rally in the second quarter, but the Cougars managed to outscore Viterbo 17-14 for the 41-27 lead at halftime.
The Cougars carried their momentum into the second half, outscoring Viterbo 27-14 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 68-41. The V-Hawks were held to five points in the final quarter as the Cougars earned an 86-46 win to open their season.
Saint Francis shot 56.1% (32-57) from the floor and 40% (8-20) from three-point range. The Cougars outscored the V-Hawks 48-24 in the paint and scored 29 points off Viterbo's 26 turnovers. The Cougars were led by Renna Schwieterman with 24 points and four steals. Cali Gregory added 15 points and a block, while Ashley Cox finished with 12 points.
#8 SAINT FRANCIS 91, CORNERSTONE 45
The Cougars faced off against the Cornerstone Golden Eagles (1-1) on Saturday in the final game of the 2025 Cougar Classic.
Saint Francis started strong, starting with a 28-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cougars went on a 12-2 run in the second quarter, making the score 40-12 with just over five minutes left in the first half. The Cougars held Cornerstone to only nine points during the second quarter, allowing them to head into halftime with a commanding 52-19 advantage.
In the third quarter, Saint Francis added another 21 points, extending their lead to 73-29. A layup from Dionna Craig pushed the Cougars' lead to 81-33 with 7:16 left in the fourth quarter. Saint Francis outscored Cornerstone 18-16 in the final quarter as the Cougars secured the 91-45 victory.
The Cougars shot 57.8% from the field (37-64) with 60 total points scored in the paint. Saint Francis outrebounded Cornerstone 40-14 while forcing the Golden Eagles to turn the ball over 17 times. 11 Cougars scored a point as SF's bench tallied 48 points. Taylor Fordyce led Saint Francis with 14 points, followed by Allison Scheu and Rachel Harshman with 10 points each. Cox contributed nine points and five assists, while Abby Stoddard led the team with seven rebounds.
Up next, the Cougars (2-0) will travel to Illinois to compete in the Catholic Classic hosted by Saint Xavier University on November 7-8.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.
