JOLIET, Ill. --- A 30-point uprising in the third quarter and a season-high 21 points from Tykara Harrison off the bench sparked the University of St. Francis women's basketball team to a 79-75 victory over Aquinas College on Wednesday night at the Pat Sullivan Center.

Harrison tallied 12 of her 21 points in the decisive period by making all five of her shots from the field, including a pair of three-pointers.  As a team, the Saints went 12-for-14 in the quarter and made all six of their three-point attempts to turn a 34-29 halftime deficit into a 59-47 lead.

USF (6-4) opened the contest connecting just three times in 19 attempts and going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, but could not be stopped the rest of the night.  The Saints shot a combined .694 over the final three quarters (25-of-36) and .810 in the closing 20 minutes (17-of-21), including making eight of their final nine three-pointers.

St. Francis also could not miss at the free-throw line, going 13-for-14. 

Trailing by 12 points early in the second quarter, the Saints started their comeback with a 10-2 run late in the period to get as close as 32-29 before settling for the five-point deficit at the break. 

After totaling the 29 points over the first 20 minutes, USF did one point better in half that time in the third quarter.  A 16-4 run over a nearly five-minute span turned a 39-37 lead into the biggest advantage of the night (55-41) for the hosts with Harrison providing eight of the points, six of which came on a pair of three-pointers.

Aquinas (3-6) would mount one serious threat in the fourth quarter when it shot .611 from the field (11-of-18) to pull within 73-69 with 53 seconds remaining.  USF, however, converted all six of its free throws down the stretch to keep the guests at bay.

Harrison, who also had a game-high five assists, was one of four Saints to score in double figures.  Laurelei Thormeyer produced career highs in both points (16) and three-pointers (four), while Talia Pellegrini and Jorja Bolton each delivered ten points.  Keijah Gray added nine points and a season-high eight rebounds.

Aquinas, which hit just one of its 16 three-point attempts, had three double-figure scorers, topped by Alona Blackwell's 27 points.

Notes: Harrison has now scored at least ten points in three straight games, while Thormeyer has done so in three of the last four contests … USF's .509 field goal and .929 free throw percentages were both season-high marks … The Saints have gone an identical 10-for-25 from three-point range in each of their last two games.  They have also made 10-plus treys in three consecutive contests … St. Francis' 79 points were its second-most this season … Both teams converted 28 field goals, but the Saints held a 10-1 advantage on three-pointers … USF returns to conference play at noon on Saturday to battle unbeaten and NAIA No. 22-ranked Indiana University South Bend in South Bend.     
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