JOLIET, Ill. --- The University of St. Francis men's basketball team's bid to pull off an upset of NAIA No. 2-ranked Thomas More University (Ky.) came up one three-pointer short as the Fighting Saints fell 70-68 in opening-round action of the USF New Year's Classic on Thursday afternoon at the Sullivan Center.

After Thomas More's Reid Jolly made one of two free throws with eight seconds remaining to go up 70-68, the Saints had a chance to tie the contest or go ahead on their final possession, but came up short on a shot from beyond the arc with just one second to play.  Had the hosts made the shot, it would have resulted in one of the greatest comebacks in school history.

Playing for the first time in eight days, head coach Ryan Marks' club came out cold.  The Saints connected on just four of their first 21 shot attempts from the field to find themselves saddled with a 17-point deficit (25-8) after the first 13 minutes of the contest.  From there, things changed dramatically.

Over the next five-plus minutes, St. Francis (5-5) got back into the contest by hitting on seven of their next 11 shots.  At the same time, Thomas More (11-2) was committing five of its 12 turnovers for the game and making just one field goal – a three-pointer.  Four of USF's five starters would contribute at least four points each to what turned out to be an 18-3 run to bring the Saints to within two points, 28-26.  Darius Wright topped the group with six points.

Three more layups on each of the Saints' final three possessions of the half, including Nadav Gerner's just to beat the buzzer, eventually sent the two teams into the break tied for the first time at 32-all.

USF used that first-half momentum to take its only lead of the game, going on a 10-0 burst in less than two minutes early in the second half to open up a 42-37 advantage.  Thomas More countered with its own 9-0 run to regain a 46-42 edge before upping that back up to double digits at 62-52 with 6:34 remaining in the contest. 

That lead eventually shrunk to just one point when the Saints went on a late 10-3 surge to get within 69-68 with nine seconds to play.  Thomas More then hit the free throw setting the stage for USF's final bid at the upset.

St. Francis wound up with two more field goals in the contest, but Thomas More converted at a 50 percent clip from beyond the arc going 9-for-18 to the Saints' 4-for-17 reading.  The guests also shot 50 percent overall (27-of-54), but were a woeful 7-of-16 at the free throw line.

USF relied on its inside presence to get back into the contest, tallying 48 of its 68 points in the paint.  The Saints hit on 62.5 percent of their shots after the slow start, going 25-for-40 over the final 27 minutes.  For the game, they were 29-of-61 (47.5 pct.).

Jolly led all scorers with 22 points.  Teammate Wyatt Vieth (18 points) accounted for six of Thomas More's nine treys, while Casey George added 12 points.

Like Thomas More, the Saints also produced a trio of double-figure scorers.  Wright led the attack with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.  Aitor Anabitarte went 6-for-9 en route to his 16-point performance, while Carter Fayhee contributed 12 points and team highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (five).

Notes: The loss snapped USF's season-high three-game winning streak … Thomas More became just the second team this season to shoot 50 percent or better from the field against the Saints … The 70 points scored by the guests marked the lowest point total In an opposing team's win over USF … Each of the Saints' last three opponents have shot an identical 9-of-18 from three-point range … St. Francis tied a season low with its four three-pointers, while its .235 mark from that range was also a season low … The Saints are right back at it on Friday to face Madonna University with the tipoff slated for 3 pm.     

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