MARION, Ind. -- The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars traveled a short distance over the weekend to compete with the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats for a Crossroads league match-up. The game was thrilling on both the offensive and defensive side of things, as Luckey Arena was filled with energy. The Cougars fell to the Wildcats in a thrilling overtime with a 83-78 final.

Overall, the Cougars are now 9-6 and 2-3 in the conference. USF emerged in the first half with a 19-11 lead at the 12-minute mark. USF junior Zane Burke led the team in scoring with 23 points going 10-18 from the field. The Cougars and Wildcats were closely matched all game and the teams didn't let up until late.

Joe Reidy was the second-leading scorer with 15 points and 3 rebounds. Branden Northern added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Burke took the game by storm with 10-minutes to go with eight straight points for USF. This wasn't enough as Wildcats forward Javan Buchannan scored a game high 32 points.

The Cougars will be back on the road for Crossroads League play this Wednesday, January 10th at Ariel Arena. USF will battle the Cougars of Mt. Vernon Nazarene at 7:30 PM as they look to get back into the win column.

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

-Grant Ott-Large-