UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. - The 16th ranked University of St. Francis women's basketball squad posted its fifth victory in a row as the Saints outscored Governors State 25-11 in the fourth quarter to register a 70-49 non-conference win over the Jaguars this Saturday (Dec. 12) afternoon at GSU's Athletics and Recreation Center (ARC).
With the triumph over its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) counterparts, USF improves to 7-1 overall with the victory while Governors State fell to 0-5 overall.
USF had two players reach double-figure scoring as guard Leah Sims (SR/Chicago, Ill.) led the way with a game-high tying 16 points and a team-best tying five rebounds. Forward Andriana Acosta (SR/Crest Hill, Ill.) scored 14 points and pulled down a squad-high tying five boards. Guard Kalyn Sias-Chaney (JR/Milwaukee, Wis.) tallied eight points off the bench to go with five caroms.
The Jaguars, who trailed 37-29 at halftime, were down 45-38 after three quarters of play. USF, which held just a 45-40 advantage early in the fourth quarter, reeled off 13 consecutive points over a four-plus minute span to take a commanding 58-40 lead with 5:37 remaining in the game. Governors State could only cut its margin down to 13 points twice with the last being at 60-47 with 2:47 to go before an 8-2 scoring run bumped the Saints' margin up to 19 points (68-49) with only 47 seconds on the clock.
USF finished the day shooting 40.3% (25-62) for the game and was six-of-13 (46.2%) beyond the three-point arc. The Saints made 14-of-21 (66.7%) free throws and forced 25 GSU turnovers while committing 14 of their own.
Amber Brooks produced a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for GSU, which made 27.9% (12-43) from the field and was 22-of-30 (73.3%) in free throws. The Jaguars made only three-of-18 three-point shots (16.7%).
The Saints were outrebounded 41-37 as each team managed to grab 16 caroms on the offensive end.
USF's bench outscored Governors State 22-4 and scored 19 second-chance points to the Jaguars' 15 points. The Saints managed to generate 25 points off turnovers while GSU registered nine points.
Next Up
USF will continue its non-conference action on the road as the Saints face another CCAC opponent in the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees on Saturday, Dec. 19, in Davenport, Iowa. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT) at SAU's Lee Lohman Arena.
