MILWAUKEE --- Fifteen different players saw the floor for the University of St. Francis men's basketball team Saturday as the Saints earned their first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) victory of the season with a decisive 73-62 win over Cardinal Stritch University.
Guard Joey Buggemi's (JR/Frankfort, Ill.) game-high 14 points were tops for USF, which improved to 8-3 overall. Buggemi was joined in double-figures by Eric Ting (SR/Taoyuan, Taiwan), who finished with 13 points, and forward Lewis Holey (SR/Sydney, Australia), who totaled 10 points and five rebounds.
The Saints connected on 43 percent of their field goal attempts (25 of 58) on the afternoon, while knocking down 77 percent of their free throw shots (17 of 22).
USF struggled in the first half, shooting only 31 percent from the field (12 of 31) and hitting just four of its 14 attempts from beyond the arc. Nonetheless, the Saints were able to go into halftime with a 32-25 advantage thanks to a strong defensive effort. Head coach Ryan Marks' team forced nine Cardinal Stritch turnovers and held the Wolves to only one three-point field goal in the opening half.
Over the final 20 minutes, the Saints began to find success shooting the ball, improving their field goal percentage to 48 percent (13 of 27).
USF gained its first double-digit lead at the 17:36 mark of the second half after a Carter Fayhee (JR/Macomb, Ill) jumper put the Saints up 40-29. By the 4:20 mark, a Ting layup would give the guests a 20-point cushion (70-50), which proved to be their largest lead of the contest.
On the glass, Deandre Johnson (SR/Watts, Calif.) continued to be a force. Johnson, who averages 6.5 rebounds per game, finished the contest with a team-leading six rebounds. Fayhee also came up big defensively as he finished with five rebounds, three steals and one block.
The Wolves (0-5, 0-2 CCAC) finished with two players in double figures. Stefan Popovic produced 12 points and Issac Hill finished with 10.
The win puts USF back on the winning track after dropping its last game to NAIA No.5 ranked Arizona Christian.
The Saints continue CCAC play at home this Wednesday (Jan 13) when they welcome St. Ambrose University to the Sullivan Center for a rematch of their Dec. 16 matchup in Davenport. Iowa. The Saints lost the last meeting 61-56 in a game that saw Ting score 21 points. A 7 p.m. tip-off is scheduled for the meeting between the two league foes.
