No. 9 Cougars Top No. 12 Knights in Top-15 Showdown

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The #9 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars topped the No. 12 Marian University Knights by a final score of 73-72 in overtime on Saturday, February 15. 

The Cougars put three points on the scoreboard less than 30 seconds into Saturday's game. The Knights were held scoreless until the 8:27 mark of the first quarter when Marian made a free throw and followed up with a three-pointer to make the score 4-3. The Knights extended their lead to 16-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Cougars went on an 11-2 run to start the second quarter, with the score at 19-18 in favor of USF. The two teams then battled back and forth for the lead. With 33 seconds left to play in the first half, Marian made a three-point shot for the 30-24 lead As time ran out, Cali Gregory drew a foul on a made layup, sending her to the charity stripe with a chance to cut Marian's lead to three. Gregory made the free throw to make the score 30-27, with Marian taking the narrow lead at halftime. 

USF quickly tied the game up at the start of the third quarter. The Cougars shot 68.8% from the floor and made five of eight three-point attempts as Saint Francis outscored Marian 32-14 in the third quarter. The Knights came back to tie the game up at 66-66 with 1:36 on the clock in the fourth quarter. After Marian retook a two-point lead, Saint Francis answered with a layup to tie the score at 68-68 with 30 seconds left on the clock. Neither team would make a bucket in the final seconds of regulation, forcing an overtime period. 

The hard-fought battle continued into overtime, with both squads trading buckets until the 1:43 mark when Isabella Gizzi drew the foul for an and-one opportunity. The sophomore made the free throw to make it a four-point game. The Knights tried to rally, cutting the Cougars' lead to 73-72 with just under a minute left in overtime, but USF would hang on for the one-point win over Marian on Saturday. 

As a team, USF shot 50% (25-50) from the field and 45.8% (11-24) from three-point range. Six Cougars scored in double digits on Saturday afternoon, led by freshman Gregory with 15 points. Julia Mantyla followed with 13 points and five rebounds, while Taylor Fordyce added 12 points and another five rebounds. Chloe McKnight and Gizzi each had 11 points against the Knights. 

Up next, USF women's basketball (23-3, 13-3) will travel to Winona Lake, Ind. for a Crossroads League matchup against Grace College on Wednesday, February 19. Earlier this season, the Cougars defeated the Lancers 72-42. 

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