No. 6 Cougars Stay Unbeaten at Home with 72–50 Win Over (RV) Huntington
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
(RV) Huntington (13-5, 5-3) | 4 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 50 |
|
#6 Saint Francis (Ind.) (17-1, 7-1) | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 72 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 6 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars extended their winning streak to eight with a convincing 72–50 victory over (RV) Huntington University on Wednesday, January 14.
Saint Francis set the tone from the opening tip, limiting the Foresters to just four points in the first quarter while building a 17–4 lead. Huntington made a push in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to single digits at 20–12 with 6:10 remaining. The Cougars answered with a strong finish to the half, stretching the lead to 31–17 before a three-pointer from Isabella Gizzi with 37 seconds left sent SF into the break ahead 36–20.
The Cougars maintained control coming out of halftime, scoring 19 points in the third quarter to take a 55–34 advantage into the final period. A layup at the 5:33 mark of the fourth quarter gave Saint Francis its largest lead of the night at 64–38. SF cruised the rest of the way to the 72–50 win to remain undefeated on the Cougars' home court. With the win, Saint Francis improves to 17–1 overall and 7–1 in Crossroads League play, while Huntington falls to 13–5 overall and 5–3 in league action.
Saint Francis shot 43.9% (29-66) from the field and 47.1% (8-17) from three-point range. Gizzi led the Cougars with a career-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting while adding eight rebounds and three assists. Julia Mantyla finished with 15 points, Taylor Fordyce added 11 and Cali Gregory posted a team-high 12 rebounds along with two steals and two blocks.
Up next, the Cougars (17-1, 7-1 CL) will travel to Michigan for a Crossroads League matchup at No. 21 Spring Arbor University on Saturday, January 17.
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.
