JOLIET, Ill. --- The University of St. Francis women's basketball team opened the 2022-23 season the same way it left off the 2021-22 campaign, winning at the Sullivan Center.  The Saints made it 15 straight wins at home dating back to last year with a convincing 87-55 victory over Madonna University (Mich.) on Saturday afternoon.

All 13 St. Francis players that suited up saw plenty of playing time with 11 of those scoring.  Hannah Swiatek and C'Erra Maholmes led the balanced attack with 14 points each.  Five other players totaled at least seven points, including Jordan Pyle (10 points), Talia Pellegrini (9) and Alina Jahnke (8).

Pyle also led the Saints in rebounding with six caroms and nearly paced the team in assists with three.  That honor went to Le'lani Harris off the bench with four.

St. Francis led from start to finish, opening a 10-point lead in the game's first three-plus minutes.  The Saints would get the advantage to 14 by the end of the quarter and 27 at the break.  USF's biggest lead of 41 points came midway through the fourth quarter.

Head coach John McGinty's club shot no less than 53 percent in three of the four quarters and finished the afternoon at 54.2 percent (32-of-59).  Madonna, meanwhile, was held to 37.5 percent shooting with 21 makes in 56 attempts.  The Saints also converted 19 Crusader turnovers into 27 points.

Madonna was led by Ti'Syn Callahan, who authored a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds.

Notes: Coach McGinty has never lost at home in his one-plus years at St. Francis, being a part of the entire 15-game winning streak at the Sullivan Center after going 14-0 last winter … The Saints totaled 20-plus points in each of the four quarters on Saturday … Seven USF players shot better than 50 percent from the field … Making their St. Francis debuts on Saturday were Mia Kennelly, who gained her first collegiate start, Maholmes, Pellegrini, Jahnke, Harris, Laurelei Thormeyer and Autumn Shull … Up next for the Saints is a matchup with NAIA preseason No. 7 Marian University (Ind.) on Friday at the two-day Cardinal Stritch University (Wis.) Franciscan Bowl.  

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