MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - The No. 9 ranked University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's basketball team picked up their third consecutive win on the road against Mount Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday, February 12. USF used a strong second half to beat MVNU by a final score of 93-61. 

The two teams started Wednesday night's game locked in a tight battle, with MVNU holding a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Mount Vernon Nazarene was able to maintain their lead until the 5:28 mark of the second quarter, when Chloe McKnight hit a three-pointer, putting Saint Francis ahead 27-26. The game continued to see-saw, with the lead changing hands six times, until Mount Vernon Nazarene tied the score at 35-35 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. A steal by Isabella Gizzi, followed by a layup from Ally Madden, allowed the USF Cougars to take a 37-35 lead at halftime.

USF extended its lead to 50-37 with 6:18 remaining in the third quarter. A free throw at 1:46 increased Saint Francis's advantage to 18 points. The host team struggled, shooting just 23.1% from the field, as Saint Francis outscored MVNU 22-13 in the third quarter, taking a 59-48 lead heading into the final period. In the fourth quarter, Saint Francis shot an impressive 64.7%, scoring 34 points as USF down MVNU by a final score of 93-61 to improve to 12-3 in Crossroads League action. 

The USF Cougars shot 57.1% (36-63) from the field and 51.7% (15-29) from three-point range while outscoring MVNU in the paint 42-28. Cali Gregory led with a career-high 34 points after 14 of her 22 shot attempts. Gregory also had a team-high eight assists and a block on Wednesday night. McKnight shot 7-13 from deep en route to 21 points while adding four assists and four rebounds. Cassidy Crawford finished with 15 points and a block, and Julia Mantyla had eight points, eight rebounds and a block. 

Up next, USF women's basketball (22-3, 12-3) will host the No. 9 Knights of Marian University in the Hutzell Athletic Center on Saturday, February 15 starting at 1:00 p.m. The Cougars beat the Knights by a final score of 63-47 in their first meeting of the season. 

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