JOLIET, Ill. - The University of St. Francis men's basketball team's string of tough luck continued Saturday (Jan. 11) afternoon as the Saints dropped their eighth decision by seven points or less this season, including all seven of their Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference setbacks, with a 77-75 loss to Judson University at the Sullivan Center.
 

Two of USF's three two-point losses have now come at the hands of Judson – the other a 67-65 decision back on Dec. 7 – while the other four league defeats have been by three points twice and seven points twice. Two of those losses have also come in overtime. In all, the seven conference losses have been by a mere 26 points, or 3.7 points per contest.
 

On Saturday, Judson (4-15, 3-8 CCAC) used a 58.3 percent shooting mark in the second half (14-of-24) and an 18-6 run over the final 5:55 to secure the victory. The Eagles also looked to take the biggest lead of the opening half for either team (35-29) into the locker room at halftime, but the Saints had second thoughts going on a 7-0 run in the closing 89 seconds to gain a 36-35 edge at the break.
 

With the exception of a brief 54-53 Judson lead midway through the second half, the Saints (6-11, 4-7) led or were tied for the first 18:41 after halftime. Their biggest lead – and the biggest for either team – came with 5:55 to play when they built up a 69-59 advantage with a 10-2 push in a four-minute span. USF used three Judson turnovers during the stretch to aid its effort.
 

The Eagles never gave in, though, getting hot at just the right time. In the closing six minutes, they hit four of their six shots from the field and 9-of-12 free throws opposite USF's 2-of-8 reading from the field and three turnovers to produce the closing 18-6 charge. 
 

The biggest play during that stretch was a five-point play with 1:19 remaining in the contest. Jordan Johnson hit a three-pointer to put Judson up 72-71 and the Eagles added two more free throws by Bryce Prochaska after the Saints were called for a foul after the shot to turn a 71-69 deficit into a 74-71 lead. Judson never trailed the rest of the way in a contest that featured 11 ties and eight lead changes.
 

Prochaska would finish the afternoon with a game-high 19 points, with Johnson right behind with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
 

USF picked up 15 points each from Mitch Kwasigroch (SR/Manhattan, Ill.) and Eric Ting (JR/Taoyuan, Taiwan) while Malik Bailey (SR/Tutwiler, Miss.) added another 12 points. The Saints, however, struggled from the field for the second straight game, shooting under 40 percent (.397, 23-of-58). That was somewhat offset by a 20-of-23 effort at the foul line.
 

Judson used its 14-of-24 second-half effort from the field to finish at just over 50 percent for the afternoon (.509, 27-of-53).
 

Up Next

The task gets no easier for the Saints Wednesday night (7 pm) when they travel to Davenport, Iowa to take on NAIA No.16 ranked St. Ambrose University. The Bees were one of the six league teams to nudge out the Saints earlier this season in an 85-78 overtime contest back on Nov. 19 at the Sullivan Center.