Women's Basketball Game Recaps

CHICAGO -- It's hard to remake a classic.

University of St. Francis found that out Thursday night in the semifinal round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at the Shannon Center.

Just nine days after authoring a 75-64 upset over then NAIA I No. 11-ranked Saint Xavier University in the same setting, the Lady Saints could find little to go right in an 85-73 loss.

"We've worked on their press the last two days and all year long," USF head coach Frank Kaminsky said. "Tonight, we just made bad decisions. It was more us than their press. We never caught ourselves from that point on."

The win advances No. 14-ranked Saint Xavier (23-7) to the tournament title game on Saturday. The Cougars will host No. 21-ranked Olivet Nazarene University (23-6), a 101-99 winner over Robert Morris College in the other semifinal.

Like they did back on Feb. 23, the Lady Saints (18-14) got on top of Saint Xavier early, 7-2 and 12-8, but this time it did not stick. The Cougars met USF's offense at midcourt shortly thereafter, stopping the Lady Saints dead in their tracks. The result was 12 first-half USF turnovers, netting Saint Xavier 16 bonus points off the Lady Saint miscues.

When St. Francis did get through the halfcourt trap, the rewards were not plentiful, netting only five baskets in 19 attempts (26 percent) after the initial 12-8 lead. Saint Xavier, meanwhile, was shooting at a 46 percent clip (18-of-39), with that percentage aided by its transition baskets and leading to a 41-28 advantage at the break.

"We started off phenomenal," Kaminsky said. "But after that, we were just out of sync the rest of the night."

USF looked to get back in the game in the second half with back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore forward Kellie Fazio (East Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) and sophomore guard Katie Carls (St. Bede's Academy/Spring Valley, IL) cutting the deficit down to single digits, 45-36, with 16:31 to play.

That Saint Xavier lead got up to 16 points later, 55-39, with a 10-3 run and then ballooned to its highest margin, 67-43, with a 12-0 run, which ended at the 10:02 mark.

St. Francis would never threaten after that despite shooting 54 percent from the field in the second half. Saint Xavier matched that, while forcing 10 more USF turnovers for a total of 22 on the night leading to a 32-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

Fazio finished with 18 points to lead USF, 16 of which in the second half. She also produced a team-high nine rebounds. Carls collected another 14 points.

Jackie Heine led all scorers with 21 points for the Cougars, while Erin Hannemann notched a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- University of St. Francis' Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal-round contest with Indiana University South Bend was a tale of two halves.

Fortunately for the Lady Saints, the second half was better than the first as they rallied from a 35-29 halftime deficit to score a 73-68 victory Tuesday night.

The win sends USF (18-13) to Thursday's semifinal-round date with No. 1 seed and No. 11 nationally-ranked Saint Xavier University at 7 p.m. in Chicago. Just nine days ago, the Lady Saints stunned the Cougars, 75-64, at the Shannon Center.

On Tuesday, USF could do little right in the first half, falling behind by as many as 15 points, 30-15, while shooting just 29 percent from the field (9-of-31).

Jacqie Storm (Carl Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) changed that in the closing 14 minutes after misfiring on seven of her first nine shots, including 6-of-7 three-pointers.

The sophomore forward caught fire and so did the Lady Saints with Storm connecting on seven of her final ten shots, including 4-of-5 treys, and scoring 18 of her game-high 25 points over the final stretch.

Sophomore guard Katie Carls (St. Bede's Academy/Spring Valley, IL) was just as hot from outside, nailing three second-half three-pointers and netting 12 of her 21 points after the break.

Carls' first trey of the closing half gave USF its first lead of the game, 51-48, with 9:03 remaining. Storm's three-pointer just over one minute later put the Lady Saints up for good, 56-53, with 7:36 to play.

Trailing 69-66 late in the game, Indiana South Bend (19-12) had one last chance to force a tie when St. Francis turned the ball over with 23 seconds to play, but the Titans wound up giving the ball right back. USF sophomore forward Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) then hit four straight free throws in the closing nine seconds to seal the win for St. Francis.

CHICAGO — University of St. Francis never trailed in the final 34 minutes of play and snapped a 14-game losing streak against rival Saint Xavier with a regular-season-ending 75-64 upset of the No. 11-ranked Cougars Tuesday night at the Shannon Center.

The Lady Saints registered their first victory over Saint Xavier since a semifinal win in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference post-season tournament at the conclusion of the 2001-02 season. The win was just USF’s fifth in 21 total meetings with SXU.

USF traded early leads with the Cougars and never trailed by more than a single point. Junior Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) put the Saints ahead for good at 15-14 with 14:37 to play in the opening half.

The lead ranged from that single point margin to as many as eight points when the Saints extended the edge to 35-27 at the 2:45 mark. After SXU chopped it back down to four points at 35-31, USF scored the final five points of the half to take its biggest lead of the game to that point, 40-31, into the locker room at halftime.

USF continued to control the game in the opening minutes of the second half as the Saints quickly pushed the lead to what would be a game-high 13 point margin at 48-35. SXU made of pair of runs, twice cutting the lead to just five points at both 48-43 and 59-54, but the Saints would not fold.

Junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) stopped the bleeding at the 13:37 mark with a three-pointer that gave the Saints a 51-43 cushion. When the Cougars closed to within 59-54, it was a Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) free throw and a Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) basket that stemmed the Cougars rally and put USF back in control at 62-54.

In fact, the Saitns extended that run to a 7-0 spurt and pushed the lead to 66-54 with 2:53 left. SXU was able to get within single digits just one more time and the Saints salted the game away at the free throw line where they made six straight in the final minute of play.

The most telling numbers on the statistics sheet came in free throws and rebounds. USF canned 19-of-26 charity tosses while SXU made only 9-of-14. The smaller Saints also dominated the boards, outrebounding Saint Xavier by a 43-32 margin and limiting the Cougars to just four offensive rebounds for the entire game.

Four Saints scored in double figures led by Carls who matched her career high with 20 points. Carls was 5-of-11 from the floor with a pair of threes and sank 8-of-9 free throws.

Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) finished with 15 points and canned 6-of-9 field goal attempts, including two threes.

USF got “double-doubles” from both Yedinak and Fazio. Yedinak notched 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Fazio also had 13 points and collected 10 boards.

The victory moves USF’s overall record to 17-13 and gives the Saints a final 4-6 mark in CCAC play. With Indiana South Bend’s home win over Robert Morris on Tuesday, the Saints are assured of a fifth-place regular-season finish in the rugged CCAC.

IUSB and Robert Morris are currently tied for third at 5-4 and each team has a game remaining on Saturday. IUSB travels to Saint Xavier and Robert Morris plays host to Olivet Nazarene.

USF will open CCAC tournament play on Tuesday (March 4) at the site of the fourth-place team -- either Robert Morris or IUSB. Robert Morris swept a pair of meetings with USF this season, while the Saints and the Titans each beat the other at home.

JOLIET, Ill. — Sophomore guard Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored a game-high 26 points, including 19 in the first half, to lead University of St. Francis to an 83-59 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over Illinois Tech Saturday night in the Lady Saints’ regular-season home finale.

Storm connected on 8-of-13 shots from the floor -- including 3-of-6 from three-point range -- and drained 7-of-9 free throws to lead the Saints. The 26-point effort matched her season high.

The Lady Saints also got 12 points each from junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) and sophomore point guard Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL).

USF (16-13/3-6) took a 7-6 lead five minutes into the game and never trailed again. The Saints pushed the lead to as many as 16 points in the opening half (42-26 and 44-28) and carried a 13-point lead into the locker room at halftime with a 46-33 edge.

The lead was never less than the 13-point halftime spread in the final stanza. USF’s largest lead was 30 points at 77-47 with 4:14 remaining in the game.

Senior center Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led all rebounders in the game with 11 caroms and narrowly missed a double-double with eight points. Sophomore Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) topped the Saints with five assists and four steals.

USF closes out the regular season Tuesday night with a game at Saint Xavier. The CCAC post-season tournament begins the following Tuesday.

JOLIET, Ill. — Visiting Robert Morris closed the game with an 11-4 run and overcame an 11-point deficit in the final 13 minutes to defeat University of St. Francis, 74-68, in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at the Recreation Center Tuesday night.

The Saints (14-14, 2-6) led from the outset until the 8:23 mark of the second half. USF’s biggest lead was 12 points at 26-14 midway through the first half. Robert Morris finished the opening half with a 12-4 run to cut the margin to just four points at halftime.

USF regained control of the game early in the second half and pushed the lead back up to 11 points at 45-34 with 13:25 remaining.

The Saints still led by seven at 46-39 with 12 minutes left when a key injury helped turn the momentum in the Eagles’ favor.

Junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL), who was leading USF with 14 points at the time and had played only 16 total minutes after picking up two quick fouls in the first half, was forced to leave the game for good after suffering a cut that required stitches over her right eye.

Robert Morris immediately went on a 12-3 run and took its first lead of the game at 51-49 on a three-pointer at the 8:23 mark.

The Saints recovered from that spurt, though, and battled back to take a five-point edge at 56-51 with 7:25 left. The lead was still five at 58-53 with 5:16 left before the Eagles made the game-changing push.

Robert Morris outscored the Saints, 21-10, the rest of the way but didn’t put the game away until the final half minute of play. USF trailed 71-68 but missed a shot at the 11-second mark and the Eagles closed the scoring with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to account for the six-point margin of victory and their biggest lead of the game.

USF was led in scoring by sophomore point guard Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) who finished with 17 points. Mistretta was next with her 14 and sophomore Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) contributed 10.

Fazio led the Saints with seven rebounds and Carls and junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) each had a team-high three assists. Yedinak also added three steals.

Robert Morris (17-10, 5-2) was led in scoring by Jessica Harris who had 18 points.

The Lady Saints play host to CCAC foe Illinois Tech on Saturday evening at 5:15 p.m., in the front half of a doubleheader with the USF men (who entertain Saint Xavier). The IIT game will be USF’s final regular-season home game.

JOLIET, Ill. — In what is becoming an annual February shootout at the USF Recreation Center, No. 18 Olivet Nazarene outlasted University of St. Francis, 100-93, in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game Saturday night.

Although no records were broken as in last year’s 119-118 barnburner, this game featured 178 field goal attempts which included 78 taken from beyond the three-point arc.

The score was tied four times and the lead changed hands 10 times in a first half that ended with the visiting Tigers holding a 58-52 lead.

Olivet (21-5, 6-2) pushed the lead to as much as 11 points in the opening minutes of the second half at 65-54. USF (14-13, 2-5) made its best charge of the night, putting together a 16-4 run to briefly recapture the lead at 70-69 with 11:53 to go in the game. ONU quickly regained the lead with an 8-0 spurt to take a 77-70 lead and never trailed again.

The Saints, though, kept battling the rest of the way. They got as close as four points at 77-73 and after ONU sprinted back to a 12-point lead at 89-77 USF twice chopped the margin to six points.

USF finally got back to within four points at 95-91 but there were just 32 seconds left in the game. An Olivet free throw put the Tigers back up by five. A driving layup by sophomore forward Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) got USF within three points but ONU put the game away with four more free throws in the final seconds.

Sophomore forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) led the Saints with 22 points. Four other USF players scored in double figures with junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) finishing with 18 points, Fazio with 13, junior guard/forward Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) 11 and sophomore guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) 10.

Junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) led the Saints with 11 rebounds and seven assists.

USF continues its six-game homestand with a CCAC matchup Tuesday night against Robert Morris at 7:30 p.m. USF fell at Robert Morris, 72-70, back on Jan. 26.

JOLIET, Ill. — University of St. Francis recovered from a sluggish start and came back to post an 82-65 nonconference victory over Trinity Christian Tuesday night at the Recreation Center.

The Saints (14-12) trailed from the opening tap until the final 16 seconds of the first half. Trinity Christian (9-18) built its early lead to as many as eight points at 29-21 with 4:33 left until halftime.

USF finally got its first advantage at 36-35 on an Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) free throw with 16 seconds left until halftime.

USF never lost the lead in the second half, quickly pushing the margin to nine points by scoring the first eight points of the period. The Saints extended the lead to as much as 22 points at 65-43 and coasted the rest of the way.

Junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) led the Saints with 19 points, making 7-of-11 shots and a pair of three-pointers. Three other Saints scored in double figures, with sophomore Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) collecting 14 points, junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) getting 12 and sophomore Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) adding 11.

Three Saints each had a team-high five rebounds -- Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL), Carls and Yedinak. Storm, Carls, Yedinak and Fazio each had four steals and Yedinak, Mistretta and Fazio all notched a team-best four assists.

JOLIET, Ill. — Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored 20 points to lead five Lady Saints in double figures as University of St. Francis started the second round of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play with an 86-70 defeat of Indiana University South Bend at the USF Recreation Center Saturday night. The 16-point win avenges a 92-82 loss to the Titans in South Bend back on Jan. 15.

USF (13-12, 2-4) trailed only once in the game at 3-2 and led by as many as 26 points on three separate occasions in the second half.

Storm notched 14 of her 20 points in the first half and reserve center Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) came off the bench to hit all six of her first-half shots and help push the Saints to a commanding 52-34 halftime advantage.

IUSB (15-10, 2-4) never got any closer than 14 points in the second half and that came in the final minute of play after USF had emptied its bench.

In addition to Storm’s 20 and Graham’s 14, USF got double-digit scoring from point guard Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) with 16, Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) with 12 and Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) with 10.

Yedinak also led the Saints with eight rebounds and six steals. Storm topped the club with a career-high eight assists.

As a team USF shot 46.4 percent from the floor (32-of-69) and hit at a 44.8 percent clip from three-point range (13-of-29). Storm and Carls led the three-point parade with each canning 4-of-6 treys on the game.

The Lady Saints play their final nonconference game of the regular season on Tuesday evening when they play host to Trinity Christian at 7:30 p.m.

JOLIET, Ill. — University of St. Francis led for nearly the entire game but still couldn’t pull off the upset Saturday night at the Recreation Center as No. 11-ranked and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference leader Saint Xavier rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to defeat the Saints, 79-78.

The game went down to the final minute of play with five lead changes in the last 1:18. SXU took its first lead since a 7-5 edge very early in the game when the Cougars’ Candis Jackson completed a three-point play at the 1:18 mark to put them in front 75-74. USF’s Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) put the Saints back in front 76-75 with a driving layup at the 1:02 mark.

After a turnover by each team, Saint Xavier briefly regained the advantage at 77-76 on a layup by Alex Barone with 20 seconds left. Nine seconds later, USF’s Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) put the Saints in the lead with a baseline jumper.

Jackson then stamped herself the hero of the game when her driving layup with three ticks left on the clock put the visiting Cougars (18-4, 4-0) in front for good.

USF (12-12, 1-4) had one last shot but a turnaround jumper by Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) with less than a second remaining fell short of the mark.

USF dominated the first half and raced out to a 46-30 lead at the intermission. Saint Xavier quickly chopped the lead to single digits in the second half but never caught the Saints until the final 1:18 of the game.

USF placed four scorers in double figures, led by Fazio’s career-high 21 points. Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) finished with 18. Carls added 13 and junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) added 11. Carls, USF’s starting point guard and the smallest player in the Saints’ lineup, led all rebounders in the game with nine. Fazio and Yedinak each added eight rebounds.

Jackson and teammate Jackie Henine led SXU and all scorers in the game with 22 points each. Erin Hannemann had 16 for SXU and Kathlyn McClain added 14.

CHICAGO -- University of St. Francis used an 18-0 run after Illinois Tech scored the game's first basket to open up an 18-2 lead and never looked back in registering its first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory of the season with a 70-51 win at Illinois Tech's Keating Center.

The Lady Saints would let the lead get to less than double digits just one time (38-29 early in the second half) after their early spurt. USF led 36-26 at halftime and continued to widen the margin in the second half.

Sophomore point guard Katie Carls (St. Bede's Academy/Spring Valley, IL) led a trio of Saints that scored in double figures. Carls finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Both junior forward Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) and junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) notched 14 points.

Yedinak, who was celebrating her 21st birthday on Tuesday night, also led USF with seven rebounds and four assists and shared the team lead with three steals. Sophomore forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) and sophomore guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) also collected three steals each.

All 12 players who suited up played for USF. Senior center Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the Saints in bench points with nine and also had five rebounds.

USF improved to 12-11 overall and to 1-3 in CCAC play. The Lady Saints return home on Saturday and conclude the first half of the CCAC season with a 5:15 p.m. date with league-leading and No. 9-ranked Saint Xavier. That game marks the first of six straight home games for USF before a regular-season-ending CCAC game at Saint Xavier on Feb. 26.

CHICAGO, Ill. — Sophomore Anna Sears’ (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) short jumper with eight seconds remaining missed the mark and a chance to complete a last-minute comeback as University of St. Francis dropped a 72-70 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup with Robert Morris College Saturday night at Loyola University’s Gentile Center.

The Lady Saints trailed by four points and did not have the ball with just over 20 seconds remaining but nearly pulled the game out.

Junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) made a steal on the defensive end of the court and drove to the other end for a layup that brought the Saints within two points at 72-70 with 11 seconds left.

Robert Morris then turned the ball over again when the Eagles’ inbounds pass hit the back side of the backboard and the Saints had possession underneath the bucket with 10.9 seconds showing on the game clock.

Sears worked herself free but was unable to connect on the jumper off the inbounds pass and Robert Morris claimed the rebound and the Saints quickly fouled. The Eagles’ Janesha Washington missed the front end of the 1-and-1 with five seconds left and the Saints, with no timeouts remaining, moved the ball downcourt but were unable to get off a potential game-winning three-pointer or game-tying two-pointer before the horn sounded.

USF trailed almost all of the second half but never by more than six points. The last six-point deficit was at 70-64 with 1:21 left in the game.

The Saints led early in the game by as many as five points at 12-7 but an 18-6 Robert Morris run gave the Eagles a 25-18 edge. USF managed to close the lead back to as little as four points later in the half and trailed only 36-30 at halftime.

Junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) led USF in scoring with 16 points and made 7-of-10 shots from the floor. Sophomore forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) tossed in 12 points and sophomore guard Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) reached double digits with 10.

Yedinak narrowly missed a triple double, finishing with nine points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Senior center Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) added nine points and eight rebounds.

USF, now 11-11 on the year and 0-3 in CCAC play, was shorthanded for the second straight game. Junior starting forward Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) missed the game after leaving Tuesday’s 97-88 loss at Olivet Nazarene in the second half with a concussion.

USF plays its fourth straight CCAC road game on Tuesday at Illinois Tech. The Lady Saints will play their first league home contest next Saturday against Saint Xavier.

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — University of St. Francis shot its way to a nine-point halftime lead but ran out of gas against a deeper Olivet Nazarene squad and dropped its second straight Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game with a 97-88 loss to the No. 20 Tigers.

USF (11-10, 0-2) led virtually the entire first half and pushed its lead to 54-45 at the break.

Olivet (16-4, 2-1) slowly chipped away at the Saints’ advantage in the second half and finally took the lead for good at 71-70 with 12:32 remaining. USF managed to tie the game one more time at 76-76 but could not regain the lead.

The Tigers then went on a 12-2 run to put some distance between them and the Saints and push their margin to 88-78 at the 7:54 mark. USF could get no closer than within seven points the rest of the way.

USF’s second-half effort was hampered when starting junior forward Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) suffered a concussion on a scramble for a loose ball and left the game with 14 minutes remaining. Hunter led the Saints with 14 first-half points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range before suffering the injury.

Including Hunter, USF placed five scorers indouble figures. Junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) led the Lady Saints with 19 points, with 14 coming in the second half. Mistretta also dished out a career-high 10 assists to notch her first career double-double. She added a team-high seven rebounds to fall just three caroms shy of a triple-double.

Sophomore guard Katie Carls (St. Bede Academy/Spring Valley, IL) notched a season-high 18 points. Sophomore forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored 15 points and sophomore guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) came off the bench to add 12 points.

Junior forward Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) sparked the Saints’ defense with a career-high nine steals.

USF travels to Chicago on Saturday for its third straight CCAC road game as it plays Robert Morris at Loyola University’s Gentile Center at 5 p.m. in the front half of a women’s/men’s doubleheader.

JOLIET — Junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) scored a game-high 16 points to lead four Saints in double figures as University of St. Francis defeated NAIA Division I No. 24 Georgetown (KY) 69-62 Saturday night at the Recreation Center.

The game was close throughout, with Georgetown holding a 29-28 lead at halftime. Neither team led by more than nine points, as both teams struggled with their shooting. USF and Georgetown each shot just 37 percent for the game. Both teams were even colder from three-point range, with the Saints firing at just a 19.2 percent clip from beyond the arc and the Tigers only slightly better at 20 percent.

In addition to Yedinak, the Saints got double-digit scoring efforts from sophomore forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) who had 13 points and junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) and senior center Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) each notched 12.

Storm and sophomore forward Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) led USF with seven rebounds apiece. Yedinak topped the club with six assists, Fazio had three blocks and Graham led the way with three steals.

USF improved to 11-9 overall and Georgetown fell to 12-6. The Saints travel to Bourbonnais Tuesday night for a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup with Olivet Nazarene at 5:30 p.m.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Indiana University South Bend shot a blistering 59.6 percent from the field, including 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from three-point range, and canned 27-of-29 free throws in handing University of St. Francis a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference-opening 92-82 loss at the Student Activities Center on the IUSB campus Tuesday night.

The Lady Saints led just once in the game at 2-0 and fell behind by as many as 18 points (38-20) in the opening half. IUSB held a 47-31 lead at the intermission after sinking 15-of-23 field goals (65.2 percent) and 5-of-7 three-pointers (71.4 percent). The Lady Titans were also perfect from the free throw line in the first half (12-of-12) and outrebounded USF, 15-9, in the opening 20 minutes.

St. Francis didn’t have much luck in narrowing the gap in the second half. While IUSB was never able to match its 18-point margin from late in the first half, the Saints were behind by 10 or more points for all but 20 seconds of the second stanza.

USF closed to within eight points at 71-63 at the 6:31 mark on a three-pointer by junior guard/forward Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) but the Titans quickly pushed the lead back to double digits when Abbey Freeman drained a long and contested three-pointer from the deep left corner just 20 seconds later.

Hunter led all Saints with a career-high 23 points, sinking 6-of-10 three-pointers and 8-of-14 shots overall. Three other Lady Saints reached double figures, with sophomore forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) collecting 18 points, junior forward Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) notching 15 and junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) finishing with 14. Yedinak also matched her career-high with seven steals and led the Saints with six rebounds.

USF plays host to Georgetown (KY) Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Recreation Center in a nonconference game.

JOLIET — University of St. Francis took control of the game with an 18-0 run midway through the first half and coasted to a 92-49 nonconference victory over visiting Hannibal-La Grange College (MO) on Saturday afternoon at the USF Recreation Center.

Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored eight points in the 18-0 first-half spurt and finished the contest with a game-high 18 in just 22 minutes of playing time. Freshman reserve guard Jalea Berg (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL) made four three-pointers and finished with 14 points. Junior Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) added 11 points and sophomore forward Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) reached double digits with 10. Twelve of USF’s 13 players scored points in the game and all 13 had at least one rebound.

USF led 39-25 at halftime and immediately pushed the lead to 20 or more in the second half. The margin got as big as 46 points at 92-46 in the final minute.

Junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) and senior Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the Saints with six rebounds apiece. Hunter topped the club with five assists and Yedinak led the way with three steals.

USF improved to 10-8 on the season, while Hannibal-La Grange slipped to 1-14. The Lady Saints are off until Jan. 15 when they open Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a road game at Indiana South Bend.

CHICAGO — University of St. Francis concluded play in the Saint Xavier University Christmas Tipoff Tournament on Saturday by capturing seventh place with a 72-48 victory over Calumet College (IN).

The deeper Saints (9-8) wore out the Crimson Wave (2-12) who suited up just six players for the game. USF played all 12 of its available players and got scoring from each one of the Lady Saints.

USF never trailed in the game and after a brief 2-2 tie, the Lady Saints led the rest of the way. USF snapped the 2-2 deadlock by scoring 18 unanswered points to lead 20-2 with 13:16 remaining in the opening half. The Saints pushed the lead to as much as 25 points later in the half at 34-9 and held a 44-23 halftime cushion.

USF’s starters played just the first four minutes of the second half and quickly extended the lead to 29 points at 56-27. The Saints’ reserves played the rest of the way and moved the lead to as many as 33 points on two different occasions.

Freshman reserve forward Tori Albrecht (Downers Grove North H.S./Downers Grove, IL) scored a career-best 14 points to lead the Saints in scoring. She also added 6 rebounds. Sophomore starting forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) notched 13 points in just 11 minutes of playing time to join Albrecht in double figures.

Freshman guard Jalea Berg (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL) added 9 points on a trio of first-half 3 pointers and led USF with 5 assists. She also had 6 rebounds. Senior center Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) scored 8 points and led all rebounders with 9 boards. Sophomore point guard Katie Carls (St. Bede Academy/Spring Valley, IL) also scored 8 points and was the lone USF player named to the all-tournament team.

The Lady Saints return to action next Saturday (Jan. 5) when they play host to Hannibal-La Grange College (MO) in a non-conference game.

CHICAGO — University of St. Francis chopped a 16-point second-half deficit all the way down to a single point but couldn’t get over the hump and dropped a 71-64 decision to NAIA Division II No. 15 St. Ambrose in the second round of the Saint Xavier University Christmas Tipoff Tournament at the Shannon Center.

USF (8-8) led just twice in the game -- at 3-0 and 6-3 -- and played catch up for the rest of the afternoon. St. Ambrose used a big rebounding advantage and some early success from three-point range to open up a 37-29 halftime lead.

The Queen Bees wasted little time in pushing the margin into double digits again in the second half, using a 7-2 run at the start of the session to lead 44-31 with 17:17 to go.

The lead got as big as 16 at 52-36 with 12:30 remaining before USF made its final push.

The Lady Saints’ rally started with a 7-0 run to slice the margin to nine points and USF kept the deficit to no more than 12 points over the next seven minutes.

With the score standing at 63-53 and 5:46 on the clock, USF made things very interesting.

The Lady Saints scored the next nine points and Kellie Fazio’s (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) layup with 2:10 left cut the lead to a single point at 63-62.

St. Ambrose missed its next shot but a long rebound bounced in the Queen Bees’ favor and a follow-up three-pointer with 1:42 to go pushed the lead back to four points.

USF answered with a basket by Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) with one minute left to play to cut the lead back to just two at 66-64.

The Saints, though, would not score again. A three-point play and two more free throws in the waning seconds accounted for SAU’s final five points and the final seven-point margin.

Sears led USF with 15 points. Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) and Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) each added 11. Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) and Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) each pulled down 10 rebounds as the shorter Saints managed to outrebound SAU in the second half, 25-23, after being outboarded 21-12 in the opening half.

The Saints have now lost three in a row and four of their last five. USF will play Calumet College of St. Joseph (IN) in Saturday’s seventh-place game at 1 p.m. The Saints defeated Calumet, 97-59, in their season opener back on Nov. 2.

CHICAGO — University of St. Francis let an 11-point first-half lead get away and dropped a 69-66 verdict to Doane (NE) College in the opening game of the Saint Xavier University Christmas Tipoff Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Shannon Center.

The Lady Saints (8-7) never trailed in the opening half and jumped out to leads of 9-2, 11-4, 15-6 and 22-11 in the game’s first eight minutes.

Doane began to chip away at the USF advantage and finally trimmed the lead to a single point at 33-32 at halftime.

The Tigers (9-5), who were among other teams receiving votes in the most recent NAIA Division II poll (December 12), took their first lead at 36-35 less than two minutes into the second half. The lead changed hands three more times before Doane took the lead for good at 42-40 with 16 minutes left in the game.

USF did manage to tie the score at 42-42 and again at 58-58 and 60-60 but could not get back over the hump.

After a pair of Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) free throws knotted the game at 60 apiece with 5:20 left, Doane went off on a 7-0 run to regain control at 67-60.

USF clawed back with a bucket by Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) at the 2:26 mark and, after another Doane basket, two more USF baskets by Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) and Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ottawa, IL) to close the gap to three points with 35 seconds left in the game.

The Saints got two more possessions with a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer thanks to Doane missing all four free throws on a pair of two-shot foul opportunities. The Saints missed on both tries, with Storm’s final three-pointer being blocked in the corner as time expired.

Sophomore point guard Katie Carls (St. Bede Academy/Spring Valley, IL) led USF with 14 points, including 10 in the opening half. Storm finished with 13 and and Hunter tallied 11.

The Saints struggled from the floor, shooting just 35.9 percent for the game (23-of-64) and making only 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) of their three-point attempts. USF was also badly beaten on the boards, as the taller Tigers outrebounded the Saints by a decisive 50-31 margin.

The Saints, losers of three of their last four games, will play St. Ambrose (IA) on Friday at 1 p.m. St. Ambrose, like USF, let a double-digit first-half lead get away and was upset 78-71 by Spring Arbor (MI) in today’s second game. St. Ambrose led Spring Arbor, 22-5, in the early going in that contest.

USF also played St. Ambrose in its second game of last year’s SXU Christmas Tipoff and dropped that game by an 86-80 score.

JOLIET — On this night, Indiana’s Saint Francis was better than the one from Illinois.

No. 3-ranked NAIA Division II University of Saint Francis (IN) got its game on track in the second half and pulled away to a 71-50 nonconference victory over a cold-shooting University of St. Francis (IL) squad Wednesday night at the USF Recreation Center.

The host Saints shot just 29.2 percent from the floor for the game, and managed just an 18.5 percent marksmanship in the opening half (5-of-27).

The visiting Cougars weren’t much better in the first half, shooting at just a 24.1 percent clip (7-of-29) but found their range in the second half as they sank 18-of-27 shots and outscored the hosts, 52-32, over the final 20 minutes.

The ugly first half ended with the score just 19-18 in favor of the visiting Cougars.

The Saints scored the first basket of the second half to gain their only lead of the game at 20-19, and that advantage lasted all of 38 seconds.

The Cougars’ lead fluctuated from two to eight points for most of the next eight minutes before a 13-0 run put the game out of reach at 59-38 with about eight minutes remaining.

The Saints -- who didn’t score their first points of the game until over five-and-one-half minutes had gone by -- placed no scorers in double figures for the game. Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) and junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) each scored seven to pace USF. Storm also led all rebounders in the game with 12 boards.

Saint Francis (IN) placed four scorers in double digits, led by Tara Dice’s 15. Dice got all 15 of her points on five three-pointers in the second half.

The Lady Saints fell to 8-6 with the loss, while the Cougars improved to 10-1.
USF plays next at the Saint Xavier Christmas Tournament on Dec. 27 against Doane (NE) at 1 p.m.

ELGIN, Ill. — Junior Kristina Yedinak’s (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) short baseline jumper with 1:19 left in the game snapped a 65-65 tie and was the key bucket in a 10-2 game-ending run as University of St. Francis overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to defeat Judson University in a nonconference matchup Tuesday evening at Judson’s Lindner Fitness Center.

USF allowed only one Judson basket in the final 4:43 and turned a 63-61 deficit into the 71-65 victory. Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) -- who led all scorers with 21 points -- started the final Saints’ rally with a basket at the 4:25 mark that tied the game at 63-63. Storm added two free throws with 2:36 left to give USF a lead but Judson countered with a basket that would be the Eagles’ final points to tie the score for the final time at 65 apiece.

Yedinak then put the Saints ahead and junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) gave USF some breathing room with a driving layup at the 0:23 mark.

Sophomore guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) put the finishing touches on the win with two free throws with just six seconds remaining.

Storm’s 21 points included five three-pointers (5-of-12). She added six rebounds and five assists to her stat line. Yedinak and sophomore point guard Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) each contributed 10 points. Junior Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) led the Lady Saints with 10 rebounds and added four assists.

Judson led for almost the entire first half and built its biggest lead at 31-20 when the Eagles capped off a 9-0 run with 5:20 left until halftime. USF was able to close within seven by the intermission, trailing only 38-31.

Judson pushed the lead back to as many as nine points in the second half at 45-36 and still led by six at 50-44 with 11:36 remaining.

USF chipped away at the lead and finally took its first lead of the final half on a Storm three-pointer that made the score 57-55 with 8:30 to go.

Neither team then led by more than two points until USF scored the final six points of the game.

The Lady Saints improved to 8-5 for the season and won their second straight road game. Judson fell to 3-8.

USF plays host to NAIA Division II No. 3-ranked Saint Francis (IN) on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at the USF Rec Center.

NOTES: The Saints shot just 10 free throws on the game but made all 10 for a perfect night at the line. It marked the second time this season that USF was perfect at the charity stripe. The Saints made all 15 tries in a one-point loss to Bethel back on Nov. 17 ... USF’s 34.2 field goal percentage was its second lowest of the season, topping only the 32.3 marksmanship it endured against Lewis this past Saturday night ... After being outrebounded 29-17 in the opening half, USF won the boards battle in the second half by a 22-19 margin ... The 11 three-pointers for the Saints matched the team’s third-highest total of the season and was the third time that USF has drained 11 treys.

JOLIET — NCAA Division II Lewis turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and overcame a 10-point deficit to defeat the Lady Saints, 69-60, in a nonconference matchup at the USF Recreation Center Saturday night.

USF used a 21-4 run -- which began with a 15-0 spurt when it trailed 26-17 -- to take a 38-30 halftime lead. The Lady Saints scored the first two points of the second half to take the biggest lead of the night by either team with a 40-30 advantage.

USF maintained control of the game, leading by nine points at 53-44 with 9:15 left.

Full-court pressure and an aggressive halfcourt defense began to pay off for the Flyers, though, as they scored eight unanswered points to trim the lead to a single point at 53-52 with 5:27 remaining.

Lewis finally overcame the Saints -- taking its first lead since holding a 26-25 edge in the first half -- when Kelly Dianis made the first of two consecutive three-point baskets with 3:28 left in the game. USF never regained the lead.

Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) led USF with 21 points and was the only Saint in double figures. Storm made 6-of-14 shots from the floor, including 5-of-10 three-pointers. Junior Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) added nine points and senior Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) pitched in eight.

Dianis led Lewis with 15 points, scoring seven in the final five minutes of the contest. Jenny Turpel added 12 points and Lauresha Hawkins reached double digits with 11.

The Lady Saints travel to Elgin to play Judson Tuesday night and return home Wednesday evening to face NAIA Division II No. 3 Saint Francis of Indiana at 7:30 p.m.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored a game-high 26 points -- including 20 in the opening half -- and led four Lady Saints in double figures as University of St. Francis knocked off previously unbeaten and 14th-ranked (NAIA Division II) Aquinas College Saturday afternoon.

USF (7-4, 0-0) trailed 2-0 and then reeled off 13 unanswered points to take control of the game in the early stages. Storm scored 15 of USF’s first 23 points and made four of her five three-point tries in the opening half.

The Saints pushed the lead to 18-5 at the 14:50 mark and still maintained a 12-point lead at 32-20 with 7:16 left in the first half before Aquinas (10-1) finally found its shooting touch. The Saints of Aquinas went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to two and kept it at that margin when the two teams went to the locker room with a 36-34 score.

Aquinas tied the game twice early in the second half, once at 38-38 and again at 40-40, but the hosts were only able to take the lead a single time when they briefly went in front, 56-55, with 5:50 left.

Storm made a big three-pointer to put USF back in front and Aquinas was able to even the score just one more time when a pair of free throws tied the game at 58 apiece.

Sophomore guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) took over the game for USF in the final five mnutes, scoring all 12 of her points. Her run included a pair of traditional three-point plays that helped put the game away.

Sears’ offense and a pair of critical steals by junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) keyed the Saints’ heroics in the final minutes of play.

Sophomore guard Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) scored a season-high 15 points and junior guard Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) matched Sears with 12.

NOTES: The Saints played without junior guard/forward and co-captain Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) who missed the trip due to the death of her grandfather ... Storm’s 26 points marked a personal season high and was also the biggest output by a Lady Saint this season ... Eleven of the 13 players who made the trip got into the game. Mistretta and Sears, though, were the only two players to score off the bench ... The game marked USF’s first win of the season against a ranked foe. The Saints previously fell to Cardinal Stritch (No. 17 NAIA Division II), Bethel (No. 8 NAIA Div. II), Cumberland (No. 16 NAIA Div. I) and Freed-Hardeman (No. 3 NAIA Div. I) ... USF is now 3-1 on the road, losing only at Cumberland (TN) ... The Saints take a week off for final exams and return to the court next Saturday (Dec. 15) for a home game with neighboring NCAA Division II rival Lewis University (7:30 p.m.).

JOLIET — Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored a team-high 20 points and led three players in double figures as University of St. Francis defeated Purdue University Calumet, 80-65, in a non-conference game at the USF Recreation Center Wednesday night.

Storm got scoring support from both juniors Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) and Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) who notched 12 and 10 points, respectively.

USF led 42-30 at halftime and trailed only once in the game at 6-4 in the opening minutes of play. The Saints pushed the first-half lead to as much as 20 points at 38-18 and 40-20.

Purdue Calumet then went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead in half at 40-30 and the Saints capped off the first 20 minutes with a basket just ahead of the buzzer.

The second half got sloppy, with the two teams combining for 28 turnovers in the final 20 minutes. USF’s lead, though, never fell into single digits and once got back to 20 points at 80-60 in the final two minutes.

The Saints outrebounded PUC, 52-47, with sophomore Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) leading the way with a career-best 11 caroms.

Sophomore Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) paced the Saints’ offense with a season-best eight assists.

USF, now 6-4 on the season, travels to Grand Rapids, Mich., for a Saturday afternoon date (1 p.m. EST/noon CST) with undefeated (10-0) and 14th-ranked (NAIA Division II) Aquinas College.

LEBANON, Tenn. --- No. 8-ranked Freed-Hardeman University (TN) used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to go from one point down to a 10-point lead and then held off University of St. Francis, 80-69, Saturday afternoon at the Rosa Stokes Memorial Classic at Cumberland University.

USF (5-4) rallied from an eight-point deficit early in the second half and took a brief 52-51 lead on a three-pointer by sophomore Jacqie Storm (Carl Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) with 12:20 left in the game. Freed-Hardeman (8-1) then reeled off 11 straight points and extended the run to 19-5 to open up a 70-57 advantage with 6:48 remaining.

USF made one last push, cutting the margin to 77-69 in the final two minutes and had two three-point attempts rim out that would have made it a five-point game.

USF started off well, jumping out to an eight-point lead at 12-4 and 14-6 in the game's first six minutes. Freed-Hardeman came back with an 8-0 run midway through the half to take the lead, which they extended to 39-34 at the break.

USF shot just 42 percent from the floor (23-of-55) and made only 9-of-23 three-point tries. The Saints were also beaten on the boards as Freed-Hardeman outrebounded them by a 37-26 margin.

The Saints placed four scorers in double figures for the second straight day in the tournament. Junior Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) led the way with 15 points, including three treys. Sophomore Kellie Fazio (East Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) and junior Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) each scored 13 points and Storm finished with 11.

USF finished 0-2 in the tournament, losing to a pair of nationally-ranked NAIA Division I teams. USF lost to host Cumberland 97-91 on Friday. Cumberland was the runnerup in last year's national tournament and Freed-Hardeman was also a national tournament team.

NOVEMBER 30:
CUMBERLAND (TN) 97, USF 91

LEBANON, Tenn. --- University of St. Francis managed just two field goals and three free throws in the final 5:43 of the game and dropped a hard-fought, back-and-forth 97-91 decision to NAIA No. 15 and defending national runner-up Cumberland University (TN) Friday on the opening night of the Rosa Stokes Classic.

The Saints (5-3) grabbed an 83-78 advantage on a bucket by Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) but Cumberland responded with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to tie the game for the 16th time at 83 apiece.

USF regained the lead on just two more occasions, jumping up 85-83 on a pair of Katie Carls (St. Bede's Academy/Spring Valley, IL) free throws and again 88-87 on a 3-pointer by junior guard Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) with 2:48 left.

Cumberland (5-0) then took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by all-America candidate Renae Williams, who led all scorers in the game with 34 points.

USF was led in scoring by junior Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL), who came off the bench to tally 22 points, including 14 in the opening half. Three other Saints reached double digits, with sophomore Kellie Fazio (East Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) scoring a season-best 16, Hunter 14 and Sears 13.

USF's Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) led all rebounders in the game with 11 and also added 9 points.

Williams was clearly the difference in the game for Cumberland, however, as she made 10-of-12 shots, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and also led the hosts with 10 rebounds.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored a team-high 21 points as University of St. Francis ended a nine-day layoff with an 83-71 non-conference win at Trinity International.

The Lady Saints (5-2) jumped out of the blocks quickly, racing to a 28-7 lead in the game’s first eight minutes. They pushed the margin to 35-10 at the 8:38 mark and got it as high as 29 points at 44-15 with 3:32 left until halftime. USF settled for a 50-23 halftime lead.

Trinity International (1-8) would not go down quietly as the Trojans shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half after hitting at just a 25 percent clip in the opening 20 minutes. TIU began chipping away at USF’s big lead and finally got the margin down to 19 points at 64-45 with 12:44 remaining.

They climbed back within 14 points at 71-57 and finally pulled within a dozen at 76-64 but there was just 2:49 left in the game. TIU could get no closer than that 12-point spread the rest of the way.

Storm got scoring help from sophomore Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) who pitched in 12 points and junior Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) who finished with 10.

Senior Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led USF with nine rebounds and Hunter added eight. Hunter and Sears led the offense with four assists each and Storm and junior Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) led USF with three steals apiece.

Domineque Shorb and Rachel Edelin topped TIU and led all scorers in the game with 23 points each.

NOTES: USF played without the services of junior guard/forward Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) who missed the game due to illness ... Freshman Jalea Berg (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL) gave USF a big lift off the bench in the first half, nailing all three of her three-point tries. She did not score in the second half and finished 3-of-4 from beyond the arc for the game ... The Saints shot 44 percent as a team from three-point range (11-of-25), their third-highest percentage of the young season ... USF’s 50 rebounds marked the second-biggest effort of the year ... USF is now 2-0 on the opponent’s home floor and 3-0 away from the cozy and comfortable confines of the USF Rec Center ... The Saints travel to Lebanon, Tenn., approximately 20 miles east of Nashville, to play in the Cumberland University Tournament this Friday and Saturday. USF plays NAIA Division I No. 15 Cumberland at 6 p.m. Friday and then tackles No. 8 Freed-Hardeman (TN) on Saturday at noon. Host Cumberland enters Friday’s game with a 4-0 mark and the Lady Bulldogs were NAIA Division I national runners-up last March. Freed-Hardeman enters the tourney with a 6-1 record and the Lady Lions lost in the first round of last season national championship tournament.

JOLIET -- NAIA Division II No. 6-ranked Bethel College converted a three-point play with 7.9 seconds left in the game and held off a last-second shot by University of St. Francis guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) to earn the non-conference win in the USF Rec Center Saturday afternoon.

The first rally belonged to USF as the Saints dug themselves out of 25-7 hole in the opening minutes of the game. USF closed within four points at the half -- 39-35 -- and finally caught the Pilots at 50-50 with 13:16 left in the game. USF did not get its first lead until the 10:04 mark when a bucket by Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) pushed the Saints ahead 59-57.

The Saints built the lead to 10 points at 76-66 before Bethel made its decisive comeback.

The Pilots scored 10 straight points to knot the game at 76-76. USF regained the lead on two Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) free throws and, after a Bethel basket tied the game again, the Saints went up by two on a couple of Storm free throws with just 36 seconds remaining.

Bethel's Paula Stout made the deciding basket and free throw with 7.9 seconds left and the Saints could not get the winning points on their last drive to the basket.

Hunter led USF with 18 points and Sears was right behind with a career-best 17. Storm added 15 points and Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) finished with a dozen.

JOLIET -- Six Saints scored in double figures as University of St. Francis overwhelmed Indiana University Northwest, 115-26, in a non-conference game Friday night.

The Lady Saints (4-1, 0-0) limited the winless Redhawks (0-5) to just 10 points in the opening half as they built a 62-10 lead at the intermission. No members of USF's starting five played more than 13 minutes in the game.

Sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) led all scorers in the game with 15 points in just 10 minutes of playing time. Freshman guard Jalea Berg (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL) scored a season-best 14 points and made four three-point baskets. Tori Albrecht (Downers Grove North H.S./Downers Grove, IL), another freshman, hit her personal high with 12 points. Sophomore Katie Carls (St. Bede's Academy/Spring Valley, IL) added 11 and sophomore Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) and senior Kristina Hedlund (Wheaton-Warrenville South H.S./Wheaton, IL) each finished with 10.

USF shot 56 percent from the floor and hit half of its three-point tries (19-of-38).

The Lady Saints play host to NAIA Division II No. 6 Bethel (Ind.) Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Rec Center.

NOTES: The Saints broke out of a shooting slump that had plagued them in their past two games. USF made 48-of-86 shots from the field (55.8 percent), including 19-of-38 threes. Storm put a stop to her personal shooting slump by canning 6-of-7 shots, including 3-of-4 three-pointers ... Nine of USF's 14 players hit at least one three-point shot on the night, with Berg's four leading the squad ... The Saints did not attempt a single free throw in the game as IUN was whistled for only four fouls on the night ... Junior Alyse Winter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) led the Saints with nine rebounds and Hedlund added eight. Albrecht topped the team with five steals, while Carls took team honors with six assists ... Thirteen of the 14 Saints had at least one steal ... The 115 points were just three shy of the USF single-game record and marked the second time this season that the Saints have cracked the 100-point barrier ... Through five games, USF is averaging 97.4 points per outing.

JOLIET -- Cold shooting combined with a quality opponent was not a good combination for University of St. Francis Tuesday night as the Lady Saints suffered their first loss of the season, 92-77, to Cardinal Stritch (WI).

USF shot just 38.3 percent (31-of-81) from the floor, including an ice-cold 22.2 percent (8-of-36) from three-point range.

Senior center Clara Graham (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) bailed the Saints out in the first half, scoring 18 of her career-high 22 points in the initial 20 minutes. Thanks to Graham’s offense, USF rallied from an early 10-point deficit to take a two-point lead (38-36) at the half.

The Saints scored the first three points of the second half to take a five-point edge but the visiting Wolves -- ranked 22nd in the NAIA Division II preseason poll -- controlled the game for most of the rest of the contest. USF took its final lead at 63-61 with 10:38. Stritch led for the final 10:18 of the game.

Graham added a game-high 10 rebounds to her 22 points, registering USF’s first double-double of the young season. The Saints also got double-digit scoring from junior Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) and sophomore Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL). Storm, though, struggled from the field, making just 3-of-17 shots and only 1-of-12 three-point tries.

Cardinal Stritch’s balanced attack placed five scorers in double figures, led by Jeni Caldwell’s 19.

USF fell to 3-1 on the season and Stritch improved to 2-0. The Lady Saints play host to Indiana University Northwest on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Recreation Center.

NOTES: Graham’s previous scoring high was 20, most recently accomplished last Dec. 8 in a win over Judson ... Graham (11-of-16), Hunter (6-of-10) and sophomore Kellie Fazio (Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) (2-of-3) were the only Saints to shoot better than 50 percent for the night. The rest of the Saints shot 23.1 percent (12-of-52) for the game ... USF also lost the rebounding battle, 51-39, but made fewer turnovers than the Wolves (22-16) ... Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) and Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) shared the team lead with five assists.

JOLIET -- The University of St. Francis women's basketball team built a 19-point lead midway through the second half but visiting Mount Mercy would not let the fans leave early.

The Mustangs used a barrage of three-pointers to tie the game and force overtime but USF (3-0) dominated the extra session and won its home opener, 91-83, at the USF Recreation Center.

Sophomore forward Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL), who struggled with her shooting during the 40 minutes of regulation (4-of-13), took control of the game in overtime. She made both her shots, including a 3-pointer, and nailed 3-of-4 free throws to score eight points in the extra five minutes and equal the total scored by Mount Mercy.

Storm and the rest of the Saints shot poorly in the first half -- making just three of their first 14 shots -- but still held a 35-27 lead at the break.

USF picked up the offense in the second half, using a 12-3 run to open up a 47-30 lead. The lead got as big as 21 points at 60-39 with 12:19 left before Mount Mercy started its push.

The Mustangs made 8-of-14 threes in the second half and chipped away at the USF lead, finally knotting the score for the first time all evening at 75-75 with 22 seconds left.

Mount Mercy took its only lead of the night at 77-75 in the first 13 seconds of the overtime, but Storm scored six of USF's next eight points to put the Saints back in control.

Junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) led USF with 20 points off the bench. Storm finished with 19, junior guard Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) had 18 and sophomore guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) had 10.

Yedinak led the Saints in rebounding with eight and in assists with six. She and Storm each were credited with five steals.

Mount Mercy's Jessie Dirks led all scorers with 29 points, including seven treys. She notched 21 of her points in the second half and overtime. Emily Duffy added 19 for the Mustangs.

NOTES: The Saints shot just 39.4 percent in the first half (13-33) and 47.1 percent in the second stanza (16-34) but were perfect from the floor in overtime (4-4) and also made 7-of-10 free throws in the crucial extra session ... Both teams committed 30 turnovers on the night .. While the team shooting numbers were below par, USF got big shooting nights from both Mistretta and Yedinak. Mistretta made 8-of-10 shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. Yedinak canned 7-of-11 shots and was 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. The rest of the team made just 18-of-50 shots (36.0 percent) ... USF is at home again this coming Tuesday (Nov. 13) for a 7:30 p.m. date with Cardinal Stritch (WI). The Saints lost at Stritch last November.

HAMMOND, Ind. — Junior guard Kristina Yedinak (Marquette H.S./Ransom, IL) scored 15 points and led five Lady Saints in double figures as University of St. Francis completed a 2-0 weekend at the Purdue Calumet Classic with an impressive 39-point victory over the host Lady Peregrines.

Yedinak added six rebounds, five assists and a steal to her 15 points. Both Kellie Fazio (East Leyden H.S./Rosemont, IL) and Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored 14 points, with Brittani Hunter (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) adding 12 points and Katie Carls (St. Bede’s Academy/Spring Valley, IL) getting 11.

The Saints had hot shooting hands in the opening half, hitting at a .641 clip overall (25-39) and an amazing .733 (11-15) from three-point range. For the game, USF shot .556 (40-72) from the floor and .548 (17-31) from beyond the arc.

All 14 Lady Saints scored and nine of the 14 also made at least one three-point field goal. Yedinak and Carls led the team with three treys each. Storm, Hunter, Fazio and freshman Jalea Berg (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL) each had two.

USF (2-0, 0-0) is off until Friday night when it plays its home opener against Mount Mercy (IA) at 7:30 p.m. at the Recreation Center.

NOTES: The Saints topped the 100-point barrier for the first time since suffering a 119-118 loss at home to Olviet Nazarene last February 10. USF scored in triple digits three times in 2006-07 and all three of those games were at home ... In two games thus far in 2007-08, USF is averaging 102.0 points per game ... Reserve forward/center Kristina Hedlund (Wheaton-Warrenville South H.S./Wheaton, IL) scored her first six career points at USF on Saturday. She was the only Lady Saint who did not score in Friday’s 107-59 win over Calumet (IN) ... Freshman Tori Albrecht (Downers Grove North H.S./Downers Grove, IL) shared team honors with Yedinak with six rebounds ... Carls tied Yedinak with a team-high five assists and led USF with three steals.

HAMMOND, Ind. — Junior guard Amanda Mistretta (Maine East H.S./Niles, IL) led four scorers in double figures with 18 points as University of St. Francis opened its 2007-08 season with a 97-59 non-conference win over Calumet College of St. Joseph (IN) in the first day of the Purdue University Calumet (IN) Classic.

The Saints, who were among other teams receiving votes in the recently released NAIA Division I national preseason poll, never trailed in the game after jumping out to a 14-0 lead. USF pushed the lead to 34-9 with 10:18 left in the opening half and saw the advantage reach as high as 34 points, 56-22, at intermission.

The two teams played a much more even second half as the Saints substituted liberally and outscored the Crimson Wave by jjust four points - 41-37 - in the final 20 minutes.

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