HOLY CROSS, Ind. --- The University of St. Francis women's basketball team scored 20-plus points in each of its four quarters and four Fighting Saint players scored in double figures to claim a 93-72 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over Holy Cross College Saturday afternoon. The win was the fourth in a row for USF and moved it back into the top spot in the league standings by one-half game following Indiana University South Bend's 62-53 victory over previously-unbeaten Indiana University Northwest also on Saturday.
For the fourth time in her career,
Jordan Pyle hit the 30-point threshold to pace the Saints with her third double-double of the season. She finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and four steals and shot nearly 65 percent from the field (11-of-17) and 72.7 percent at the foul line (8-of-11).
Three other Saint starters also totaled no less than 10 points with
Justene Charlesworth recording 20 markers,
Hannah Swiatek 11 and
Alina Jahnke 10.
Le'lani Harris came off the bench to match Jahnke with ten points.
Swiatek just missed joining Pyle in the double-double club, registering a career-high nine assists.
Head coach
John McGinty's club also shot 52.2 percent from the field (35-of-67), marking the third time this year that the Saints converted at better than a 50 percent clip.
Holy Cross' Grace Adams matched Pyle with 30 points, but HCC (6-7, 2-4 CCAC) as a team shot only 40.3 percent (25-of-62), including connecting on just two of its 16 three-pointers.
The Saints (11-2, 7-1) opened the contest by scoring the first ten points of the game and never let their advantage dip below seven points. They held Holy Cross scoreless for the first five minutes of the affair and used another 9-0 run just before halftime to build the lead up to 18 points at the break.
Notes: Pyle's highest scoring game came one year ago when she hit for 33 points against Vanguard University (Calif.) on Dec. 21. She has also produced 32- and 31-point games … Pyle's 30 points, 11 field goals and eight free throws were all top marks for any USF player this season … The Saints' 18 free throws were also a season best … Harris scored in double figures for the first time in her collegiate career … USF outrebounded Holy Cross, 43-34 … The Saints have the next eight days off before meeting Lewis University in an exhibition match on Dec. 19 at 2 pm in Romeoville.
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