GARY, Ind. – A battle of the league unbeatens lived up to its billing on Saturday afternoon, but the University of St. Francis men's basketball team could not come up with the clutch three-pointer when it needed it in dropping a 73-70 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference decision to the RedHawks of Indiana University Northwest on Saturday afternoon. 

After Indiana Northwest's Ladaion Barnes was called for a lane violation on his free-throw attempt with five seconds remaining to hold the score at 73-70, the Saints had a chance to tie the contest on their final possession, but came up short on a shot from beyond the arc as time expired.  Each team came into the contest without a loss in league play, but the RedHawks (7-1, 3-0 CCAC) were the only ones able to leave the court with an unscathed mark, snapping a seven-game winning streak for the Saints in the process.

Head coach Ryan Marks' club (7-2, 3-1) came out cold in the first half, missing its first five shot attempts from the field to find itself saddled with a 7-0 deficit after the first two minutes of the contest.  The Saints began to settle in from that point forward and, over the next nine minutes, worked themselves back into the contest by capturing their first lead of the game (19-17) after hitting on seven of their next 10 shots.  The remaining nine minutes of the first half would showcase five lead changes and three tie scores before USF carried an 8-3 scoring spurt into the break to lead 35-33.

St. Francis used that first-half momentum to take its largest lead of the game, going on a 6-2 run midway through the second half to open up a 53-47 advantage.  The RedHawks countered with their own 9-3 burst to regain a 57-56 edge before each team fought to knot the score at 63-63 with 2:53 to play.  The lead would change hands two more times before the hosts would go on an 8-1 run over a two-minute span to grab a 73-67 advantage.  The Saints were able to pull within three points (73-70) with eight seconds on the clock with a successful Nick Niego three-pointer.  That eventually set the stage for USF's final bid at the comeback.  The Saints were able to draw up a play to find an open man behind the arc, but the shot came up short, solidifying the win for Indiana Northwest.

Both teams shot well from the field with USF just below 50 percent (26-of-53), while the RedHawks were right at 50 percent (30-of-60).  From three-point range, each team sank five treys for their respective club.

The setback overshadowed another big effort from Merrick Small, who accounted for 20 of USF's 70 points.  Rahmel Davis netted 11 points, while Aitor Anabitarte and Shir Moraidi each pulled down nine rebounds.

Indiana Northwest boasted three players scoring in double figures, topped by Trace Williams' 19 points and another 16 from Dannie Smith.

IUN relied on its inside presence to maintain an edge in the contest, tallying 32 of its 73 points in the paint compared to USF's 22.  The RedHawks also won the rebounding battle, 37-27.

Up Next
The Saints are back in action on Friday, Dec. 13 when they travel to Indiana University South Bend to face-off against the Titans at 6 pm.    

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