JOLIET, Ill. – With no more than six points separating the two teams throughout the first three quarters of play, the University of St. Francis women's basketball team lit up the fourth quarter with six straight three-pointers to take down Indiana University Kokomo 77-63 on Saturday evening.  The string of threes accounted for 18 of USF's final 22 points, which proved to be the separation needed in a 55-55 deadlock with just 6:35 remaining in the game.  With the win, St. Francis moves to 4-1 overall on the season.

Indiana Kokomo (2-4) carried the offense early on with the Cougars maintaining an 18-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and building a six-point advantage at the 9:02 mark of the second quarter.  The Cougars saw their lead evaporate, however, when St. Francis went on a 9-3 run to even the score at 23-23.  The remaining five minutes of the period had the teams entangled in a back-and-forth battle that showcased five ties and six lead changes before the teams settled for a 37-37 stalemate at the break.  The Cougars built two leads of six points each during the opening half, but were unable to truly deny Le'lani Harris and Tykara Harrison on the Saints' offensive end as the two scorers combined for 17 USF points in the half.

Neither team could break away from the other to start the second half, with the scoring margin staying within two points the entirety of the third quarter.  After taking a 53-52 advantage into the start of the fourth quarter, the offensive switch came on for head coach John McGinty's club after the Cougars regained a two-point lead following a successful three-pointer on their second possession of the frame.  USF tied the score two minutes later on a Coryn Fromm layup.  From there, the Saints exploded from beyond the arc, rattling off six straight three-pointers in the closing six minutes as part of a 22-8 scoring outburst that turned the 55-55 tie game into the 77-63 USF victory.  The fourth quarter was the most decisive in the game with St. Francis putting up 24 points to the guests' 11.

Harris led the way offensively for the Saints as the junior guard dropped a season-high 24 points, while recording 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Harrison poured in 18 points and grabbed four rebounds with a team-high five assists.  Fromm reached double-digits for the first time this year with 10 points to her credit, while Symone Harrell pulled down 10 boards for USF in the win.

As a team, St. Francis posted a .400 shooting percentage compared to the Cougars' .387 mark, while also winning the rebounding battle 46-35.  Chloe McClain paced Indiana Kokomo in scoring with 36 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the floor.

Up Next
St. Francis will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 20 when the Saints face off against St. Ambrose University (Iowa) for their Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener.  Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm at the Pat Sullivan Center.

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