Spring Arbor Upsets No. 10 Saint Francis

Spring Arbor Upsets No. 10 Saint Francis
January 18, 2025

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day with a 67-55 victory over No. 10 University of Saint Francis on Saturday afternoon inside the McDonald Athletic Center.

Senior Alana Nelson had a game-high 29 points to lead the way for the Cougars while Megan Zeitz finished with 14.

The win is the third straight for SAU and improves the team's record to 13-6 with a 6-3 mark in Crossroads League play.

Prior to the game, head coach John Williams and the Cougars recognized their four seniors, Bailey Vissman, Abby Schwartz, Sydney Aunins and Alana Nelson.

 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Spring Arbor 67, (10) Saint Francis 55

LOCATION: Spring Arbor, Mich. | McDonald Athletic Center

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 13-6 (6-3 CL), Saint Francis 17-2 (7-2 CL)

 

GAME NOTES

  • Spring Arbor went back-and-forth with No. 10 ranked Saint Francis, who entered the day boasting a 17-1 record, through the first half. The Cougars trailed by three late in the second period but Megan Zeitz knocked down a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to send the teams into halftime tied 27-27.
  • Spring Arbor started the third quarter on a 9-2 run – highlighted by a Sydney Aunins 3-pointer – and pushed the margin to as many as 12, 51-39, with 2:20 remaining in the period.
  • The fourth quarter started with another lengthy Spring Arbor run seeing the Cougars score the first nine points, widening the margin to 16, and from there SAU would cruise to its first win over a nationally ranked opponent this season.
  • Nelson finished with 29 points, surpassing 1,500 points scored at SAU. She is the ninth player in program history to reach the milestone. In addition to her 1,508 points at SAU, she recorded 482 points in two seasons at Northwood University bringing her collegiate career total to 1,990.
  • Zeitz added 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting while Aunins recorded nine points and nine boards.
  • Spring Arbor forced Saint Francis into a season-high 18 turnovers and the Cougars turned those giveaways into 18 points.

 

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor plays on the road at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (11-7, 4-5 CL) in Mount Vernon, Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.