FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (8-5; 2-3 Crossroads) played host to the Spring Arbor University Cougars (4-6; 1-4 Crossroads) at Hutzell Athletic Center and rebounded with a stellar performance winning 80-53.

After suffering a tough loss last Saturday to the Grace College Lancers, and with their All-American guard Antwaan Cushingberry sidelined with a hand injury, the Cougars didn't get discouraged, they were determined to get a win.

Opening the game, both teams went through a back-and-forth battle with both sides exchanging leads in the early minutes. But then ahead by just three, Saint Francis went on to score seven unanswered points to extend their lead to 10 points over halfway through the first half.

The Cougars were also playing clutch defense as they held Spring Arbor to just two points through a six-minute span in the frame. Little scoring was done by either team in the final five minutes of the first half as the Cougars took a 33-20 lead going into halftime.

Throughout the first half the Cougars had a three-point shooting percentage of 43, while the defense got four steals during the game's first 20 minutes.

Heading into the second half, the Cougars continued their dominance on defense over Spring Arbor, meanwhile adding to their lead to go up by as much as 15 points, but Spring Arbor didn't go quietly. They jumped back to close the deficit to seven points before Saint Francis called a timeout.

Then after the timeout, the Cougars regained their composure and went back to work to build back upon their lead eventually going ahead by 21 points before Spring Arbor had to call a timeout themselves.

With 10 minutes to play, Saint Francis had a 20-point lead, and kept applying the pressure.

The Cougars led by as many as 30 points late in the game and paved the way to a 27-point victory to get back in the win column.

Throughout the game, the Cougars shot 49 percent from the floor, 50 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 71 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Zane Burke led the way in scoring with 20 points, and also had five assists and six rebounds.

The Cougars resume play next Saturday afternoon when they travel to Oakland City, Indiana to compete in the 2022 Oakland City Classic with their first game against the Indiana University East Red Wolves (5-5) beginning at 3:00 pm.

Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.