Box Score BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Sparked by a 13-2 run from its starting unit midway through the second half, the University of St. Francis men's basketball team collected its seventh win of the season (7-1) and third in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play (3-0) with its 74-62 road victory over Olivet Nazarene University on Thursday night.

Four of USF's five starters delivered all 13 points over the seven-minute scoring span with a pair of three-pointers and three layups, including an Aitor Anabitarte and-one conversion, to turn a one-point affair (53-52) into a double digit lead (66-54) with 3:16 remaining in the contest.  Merrick Small started the burst with a layup followed by a three-pointer, with Joffrey Nunnally also providing a long-range dagger on the next possession.  Rahmel Davis capped off the spurt with a fast break layup after a steal from Anabitarte and an assist from Delshawn Simms.

Merrick's field goal was the first of five over eight possessions for USF.  He delivered a similar opening to a momentum-shifting stretch in the first half.  During the first run, Small hit an open trey to give Ryan Marks' club a 19-17 lead with 7:52 remaining in the half.  Don Joachim quickly followed with a steal in the backcourt followed by a layup before Davis and Anabitarte fought through defenders in the paint to corral four more points for the Saints.  Olivet Nazarene, however, was not about to give in, rallying for some breakaway layups toward the end of the half to get within one point (31-30) of the Saints at the break.

After the Tigers regained the lead on their second possession of the second half, the Saints would never trail again after Nunnally connected for his second three-pointer of the game to give the Saints a 34-32 edge.  ONU (1-6, 0-3 CCAC) did make things interesting when it pulled to within 53-52 after a loud dunk from Luke Braman looked to spark the home team's energy midway through the half.  The Saints, however, responded with their deciding 13-2 run before swapping points with the Tigers in the game's closing minutes to take the 74-62 victory.

Davis authored team-high scoring honors with 18 points, including 13 in the second half.  Anabitarte produced a solid all-around game, leading the club in rebounds (nine) and steals (two), while chipping in 15 points.  Small provided another 11 points, including two three-pointers.

Olivet Nazarene's Caleb Correo lead all scorers after totaling 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field.

Both teams had big offensive second halves, combining for 75 points courtesy of neither club shooting less than 51.9 percent from the field after the break.  St. Francis gained the edge defensively, however, outperforming the Tigers in points off turnovers (22-8) and collecting 11 steals, which represented a season-high mark.  The Saints also converted 11-of-14 free throw opportunities in the game's closing 20 minutes.

Up Next
USF continues its season-long, four-game road trip on Saturday when the team heads to Gary, Ind. to face Indiana University Northwest in a 3 p.m. contest.   

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