JOLIET, Ill.---- Down by 11 points in the final seven minutes of the game, the University of St. Francis men's basketball team went on a 16-4 scoring run to propel the Saints to an 82-78 victory over Saint Xavier University Thursday afternoon at the Sullivan Center. 
 

With their second straight victory, the Saints improved to 13-9 overall this season with one game remaining in the 2020-21 regular season. The win also gave USF its fifth Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) victory to move closer to the break-even point at 5-6.
 

Five players finished in the double-figure scoring column as the Saints shot 55.1 percent from the floor (32-of-58). Lewis Holey (SR/Sydney, Australia) finished with his best performance of the season. The senior forward connected on six of his seven attempts from the floor to finish with a game-high 17 points. Holey also provided 10 rebounds to complete his third double-double of the season and give the senior his first triumph over Saint Xavier. 
 

Joey Buggemi (JR/Frankfort, Ill.), who leads the team in scoring, notched his 13th double-digit scoring effort of the year. He finished with 16 points and was an efficient four-of-five from beyond the arc. Deandre Johnson (SR/Watts, Calif.) and Carlos Tovias (SR/Corsicana, Texas) added 12 points apiece with Johnson providing six rebounds. Russell Tillery (SR/Portland, Ore.) contributed another 10 points and a game-high six assists. 
 

Head coach Ryan Marks' team held the lead for the better part of the first half. The Saints shot 58.6 percent from the floor (17-of-29) in the opening 20 minutes, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. The consistent scoring allowed USF to go into the half with a 38-35 lead. 
 

Saint Xavier eventually forced a tie at 40-all three minutes into the second half and then produced 17 of the next 24 points to go up 57-47 with 11:16 left. The Cougars would add to that lead, gaining their biggest advantage of the game at 67-56 with 7:27 to play.
 

Over the next four minutes, however, the Saints countered with a 16-4 run to regain the lead at 72-71 with just over three minutes to play. Saint Xavier only saw the lead one time in the final three minutes as the Saints were able to close to the game with clutch free-throw shooting and strong defensive play.  
 

Saint Xavier, which fell to 8-8 overall and 8-4 in CCAC action, had four of its five starters score in double figures with the Cougars shooting 51.8 percent from the floor (29-of-56). Charles Campbell Jr. led the way, tying for game-high scoring honors with 17 points, while Josh Niego contributed 15 more. Maurice Chambers added 14 points. 
 

The Saints get right back at it on Friday to face Roosevelt University in the final regular-season game of the year. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm at the Athletic & Convocation Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois.