JOLIET, Ill.- The University of St. Francis men's basketball team was able to open 2021 with a hard-fought victory over Lincoln College thanks to Russell Tillery's (SR/Portland, Ore.) team-leading 17 points at the Sullivan Center on Saturday.
The win upped USF's overall record to 7-2, making this game the Saints' third straight victory and their sixth victory in a row at home. The win also notches the first-ever victory for USF against Lincoln, which fell to 1-3 overall this season.
The Lynx got off to a strong start leading by many as 12 points in the opening ten minutes of the game. USF began to carve into Lincoln's lead by forcing turnovers and finishing tough baskets in the paint. Momentum began to shift towards the Saints' side when guard Nadav Gerner (FR/Ganei Tikva, Isreal) connected with E.J Charles (SO/Mokena, Ill./) for a jaw-dropping alley-oop that would cut Lincoln's lead to 23-21 with 7:32 left to play in the first half.
USF and Lincoln would battle for the lead until the Saints took over towards the end of the half. Guard Carlos Tovaias (SR/Corsicana, Texas) would convert a layup and give the Saints a 37-30 lead with 38 seconds to go in the half. The seven-point advantage was the largest lead for head coach Ryan Marks' team on the day before settling for a 38-32 advantage at the break.
The Saints' defense held Lincoln to only one three-point field goal in the first half. The Saints also held the Lynx to a 41 percent shooting performance from the field (14-for-34). USF shot 56 percent from the field (14-of-25) in the first half and capitalized on Lincoln's first-half foul troubles as they shot 75 percent from the free throw line (9-of-12).
The second half featured fast-paced scoring from both teams and outstanding defensive play from the Saints. Lincoln and USF traded baskets in a second half that saw four lead changes and five ties. The Saints would pull away late in the second half after Tillery successfully found Joey Buggemi (JR/Frankfort, Ill.) for a clutch wide-open three-point shot that would put the hosts up 72-67 with 2:01 remaining.
Despite the two-possession advantage, Lincoln would close the gap to two points with 54 seconds to go after a DeAndre Freeman three-point shot. Deandre Johnson (SR/Watts, Calif.) would knock down a layup and put the Saints back up by four points with 31 seconds remaining. A defensive stop and clutch free throw shooting from Gerner and Tillery closed things out.
Buggemi and Johnson joined Tillery in the double-figure scoring column in the contest. Johnson finished with 12 points and four rebounds. He also knocked down all six of the free throws he attempted. Buggemi finished with ten points and three rebounds, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point range.
The Saints outrebounded Lincoln 34-31, including a 25-19 advantage on the defensive glass. Aitor Anabitarte (FR/Lasarte-Oria, Spain) was a big help in the rebounding department as he grabbed a team-high seven rebounds over Lincoln's tall defenders. Anabitarte also blocked a game-high two shots in the victory.
As a team, the Saints shot 51 percent from the field (27-of-53) and 43 percent from the three-point line (7-of-16). USF also finished shooting 82 percent from the free-throw line (19-of-23), taking advantage of the 21 fouls that were committed by Lincoln.
The Saints also finished the game allowing only four Lincoln three-point field goals in 20 attempts.
Freeman finished with a game-high 19 points and was one of three Lynx in double figures. Peewee Brown and Connor Fuller both finished with 15 points. Center Tyler Clarke had a game-high nine rebounds.
Up Next
The Saints face a tough task Tuesday (Jan. 5) as they look to welcome No. 5 nationally-ranked Arizona Christian in an afternoon matchup at the Sullivan Center. A 2 p.m tipoff is scheduled for this first-ever matchup between the two NAIA opponents.
