BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - The No. 7 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's basketball team traveled to Olivet Nazarene University for a non-league matchup against the Tigers on Monday, November 24. The Cougars won Monday night's game by a final score of 92-81 for their ninth consecutive victory. 

Saint Francis started strong with a 9-0 run in the opening five minutes of the game. The Tigers scored their first points at the 5:02 mark and rallied to take a three-point lead, making the score 18-15 with 1:44 left in the first quarter. After a tough battle, Olivet Nazarene took a narrow 20-17 advantage into the second quarter. The back-and-forth battle continued in the second quarter. Olivet Nazarene held a one-point lead with just under a minute remaining in the half, but the Cougars managed to tie the game at 38-38 thanks to a free throw just before halftime.

In the third quarter, Olivet Nazarene narrowly outscored Saint Francis 19-18, giving them a slim 57-56 lead. Saint Francis responded, holding ONU to just two points while scoring 13 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The Cougars maintained their lead despite a late rally from the Tigers, who cut SF's lead to four points with just under five minutes left in the game. Saint Francis would go on to defeat Olivet Nazarene to improve to 9-0 overall on the season. With the loss, the Tigers fall to 5-4.

As a team, Saint Francis made 33 of 56 shot attempts for a 58.9 field goal percentage and 9 of 22 three-point attempts for a 40.9 three-point percentage. SF also won the rebounding battle 36-33 while outscoring the Tigers 46-35 in the paint. Isabella Gizzi led Saint Francis with 22 points and three steals, followed by Cali Gregory with 20 points and Taylor Fordyce with 16 points. Fordyce also recorded a team-high eight assists and seven rebounds. Renna Schwieterman added 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Julia Mantyla also scored in double digits, finishing with 13 points.

Up next, the Cougars will return to action at No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan University to resume Crossroads League play on Wednesday, December 3.

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.