RICHMOND, Ind. - The No. 7 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars earned their fifth straight victory with a 72-55 win on the road against the Indiana University East Red Wolves on Wednesday, November 12. 

After a slow start in Wednesday night's game, where Indiana East took an early 10-0 lead, the Cougars made a comeback and ended the first quarter with a 17-16 lead. The two teams continued to battle back and forth at the start of the second quarter until Saint Francis went on an 11-0 run, bringing the score to 33-21 in favor of the Cougars with 3:59 remaining in the half. The Red Wolves rallied, narrowing the Cougars' lead to just three points, with the halftime score at 30-33.

Saint Francis began the second half strong, outscoring their opponent 20-13 in the third quarter for a ten-point lead heading into the final quarter. The Cougars held off the Red Wolves to secure the 72-55 victory, improving their record to 5-0 for the season. With the loss, Indiana East falls to 1-3 overall.

Saint Francis shot 42.2% (27-64) from the field with 40 points in the paint and 41 rebounds compared to Indiana East's 29. Renna Schwieterman led the Cougars with 18 points and eight rebounds. Julia Mantyla came off the bench to score 15 points and pull down eight rebounds in 21 minutes of action. Isabella Gizzi added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Cali Gregory finished with eight points and five assists. 

Up next, the Cougars (5-0) will face No. 23 Indiana Tech on the Warriors' home court on Saturday, November 15. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. 

Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.