Cougars Use Strong Second Half to Upset No. 12 Huntington 89-65

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - A strong second half by the (RV) University of Saint Francis (Ind.) men's basketball team pushed the Cougars past the No. 12 Huntington University Foresters by a final score of 89-65 on Wednesday, December 4. 

The Cougars jumped out to a 25-13 lead thanks to a layup from Robert Fry II at the 7:33 mark of the first half. The Foresters responded, cutting USF's lead to four points with just over six minutes left to play in the first. The two teams battled back and forth, tying the score at 30-30 with 1:46 on the clock. As time ran out in the opening half of action, Branden Northern drained a jump shot to put the Cougars up 35-32 at the intermission. 

Saint Francis held HU scoreless in the first three minutes of the second half to extend their lead to 42-32. With a nine-point lead at the six-minute mark, the Cougars went on a 9-0 run to pull away from the Foresters for a 74-56 lead. USF maintained control in the final three minutes of action as Saint Francis won Wednesday night's game 89-65 to remain perfect in Crossroads League play and snap a six-game losing streak to Huntington. 

As a team, Saint Francis shot 57.1% (32-56) from the field and 50% (6-12) from three-point range against Huntington. The Cougars also outrebounded the Foresters 40-28 and outscored HU in the paint 44-32. Northern led with 21 points and five assists while pulling down seven rebounds on Wednesday night. Luke Almodovar followed with 18 points, while Zane Burke finished the night with 14 points. Isaiah Malone had a double-double, leading the Cougars with 10 rebounds and contributing 13 points. Joe Reidy also finished the night in double-digits, scoring 10 points and pulling down nine rebounds. 

Up next, the USF men's basketball team (10-3, 3-0) will travel to Bethel University before taking a break for the Holidays. The Cougars will return to action on January 4 against Indiana Wesleyan University. 

Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.