JOLIET, Ill. - After a heartbreaking loss in double overtime vs. Bellevue, the University of St. Francis men's basketball team closed the USF 2020 Thanksgiving Classic with a 77-68 victory vs. East-West University on Tuesday (Dec. 1) at the Pat Sullivan Center.
Joey Buggemi (Jr/Frankfort, Ill) picked up where he left off yesterday, opening the game with back-back three-point field goals igniting the Saints to a 6-0 lead with 18:30 remaining in the half. Buggemi added another three-point field goal and put the Saints up 24-19 with 4:42 left in the first half. Buggemi finished the game with a team-high 17 points and a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line. After a pair of free-throws by Deandre Johnson (Sr/Watts, Calif.), the Saints were up 31-30 at the end of the half. Both teams traded buckets throughout the first half, resulting in 10 lead changes. The Saints shot 50% from the three-point line and 38% from the field.
Not wanting to play back-back overtime games, the Saints came out strong in the second half outscoring East-West 46-38. The Saints shot an outstanding 56% in the second half. The Saints took advantage of East-West's foul trouble and shot 72% from the free-throw line in the second half. The Saints would dominate offensively and earn their first win of the season.
Carlos Tovias (Sr/Corsicana, TX) and Nadav Gerner (Fr/Ganei Tikva, Isreal) provided a spark off the bench finishing the game with 10 points each and contributed to the 39 scored from the Saints bench. The Saints dominated on the boards and outrebounded East-West 42-32. Eric Ting (Sr/ Taoyuan, Taiwan) contributed with five assists and eight points.
Comprising the 2020 USF Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team were Buggemi and Johnson of USF, Brandon Daughtry and Rodney Gatson of East-West, Jemeil King and Lewis Hayes of Bellevue, Dylan Allen of Indiana South Bend, and TreVion Crews of Bethel.
Up Next
The Saints (1-1) return to the Sullivan Center to take on Judson University on Saturday, December 5th. Tipoff is set for 3 pm.
