FORT WAYNE, Ind. - On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Lady Cougars (3-1) wrapped up their two-games at the Franciscan Bowl over the weekend when they faced off against the Saint Francis Fighting Saints (2-1) but fell just short of a weekend sweep as they lost 72-69.

Opening the game the Cougars could have gotten discouraged in the early minutes. The Fighting Saints jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first couple of minutes, and maintained their lead over Saint Francis throughout the first quarter while building upon their lead.

Midway through the first quarter the Lady Cougars trailed by eight points, and the Fighting Saints kept applying the pressure on Saint Francis' offense eventually extending the lead to double digits. At the end of the first quarter the Lady Cougars were trailing 27-16.

90 seconds into the second quarter the deficit grew to 16 points, but the Lady Cougars held steady on defense and kept the Fighting Saints in check to give themselves a chance to chip away before halftime.

Saint Francis clawed back to make it an eight-point game with three minutes remaining in the half and five late points by junior forward Cassidy Crawford propelled the Lady Cougars back in the game as they trailed just 40-33 after outscoring the Fighting Saints 17-13 in the second quarter.

Heading into the second half, the Lady Cougars picked up right where they left off as junior guard Reganne Pate sank a three-pointer to pull Saint Francis to within six just over a minute in.

The defense for Saint Francis stayed strong and allowed the Lady Cougars to fight their way back, and towards the end of the frame they scored 10 unanswered points to pull to within one, now down just 57-56. Then a couple of shots made by freshman center Ally Madden completed the comeback for Saint Francis as they took the lead 51-49, and the third quarter ended tied at 51 as the game was up for grabs.

In the fourth quarter, both teams went back and forth exchanging leads and ties. Pate stayed consistent beyond the arc nailing another three to give the Lady Cougars another lead and midway through the final frame Saint Francis led 60-59.

But once a free throw by Cassidy Crawford gave the Lady Cougars a five-point lead, the Fighting Saints suddenly came to life. 

They fought back to score eight unanswered points and take the lead back eventually extending it to four points up 70-66 in the final minute. Another clutch three by Reganne Pate pulled them to within two, but after making a free throw the Fighting Saints went back ahead by three as the Lady Cougars had one last shot to force overtime.

But Cassidy Crawford missed the shot as the buzzer sounded and the Lady Cougars fought back but suffered their first loss of the season.

Throughout the game, the Lady Cougars shot 53 percent from the floor, 58 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 46 percent from the free throw line. Reganne Pate led the way in scoring with 24 points while Crawford chipped in with 21 points of her own. Cassidy Crawford also recorded another double-double with 21 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds.

The Lady Cougars resume play on Tuesday evening when they travel to Georgetown, Kentucky to face the Georgetown College Tigers (0-1) beginning at 5:30 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.