UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. -- Aitor Anabitarte scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half, including a go-ahead layup with just 36 seconds left, to lift the University of St. Francis men's basketball team to a 70-66 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over Governors State University on Wednesday night at the GSU Athletics Center.  The contest was the fifth straight win for the Saints and sixth in conference action. 

Overall, USF is now 12-2 and 6-1 in CCAC play on the season.  The loss was the eighth of the year for Governors State (7-8, 3-4).

St. Francis led by as many as eight points in the first half before Governors State put together a 13-5 run over a five-minute period to cut its deficit to one point at 19-18 with 12:24 remaining before the intermission.  The game stayed within five points over the next 10-plus minutes until a deep three from GSU's Tyrell Isom knotted the score at 27-27 with just under two minutes left on the clock.  The Saints responded by showcasing a Rahmel Davis 7-0 scoring spurt that put USF ahead 34-27 when the final horn of the first half sounded.

USF out-shot Governors State in the opening half 41.9 percent (13-of-31) - with three treys - to GSU's 33.3 percent reading (10-of-33), but the Jaguars held the upper hand in offensive rounds and points off turnovers with 13 points resulting from those categories compared to the Saints' seven.

The Saints extended their advantage to the largest lead of the night (40-29) in the first three minutes of the second half, but the Jaguars countered over the next seven minutes with an 18-8 run to get as close as one point, 48-47.  USF maintained no more than a five-point edge for its own extended period of time before a Governors State layup with 1:07 remaining knotted the contest at 66-all. 

Anabitarte's strong layup on the Saints' next possession swung the momentum and lead back to USF, but gave the Jaguars a full possession to answer.  Deciding to drive to the rim, an unsuccessful GSU layup resulted in Anabitarte securing the key defensive rebound with 17 seconds remaining.  After a GSU foul, Joffrey Nunnally would sink two free throws that proved to be the clinchers, resulting in the 70-66 USF win. 

With nearly identical shooting numbers throughout the game from both teams on the floor and from beyond the arc, St. Francis was able to out-score the guests 22-13 from the charity stripe, proving to be a major factor in the game's outcome.  Both teams recorded 26 points in the paint with GSU edging USF in rebounds 39-37.  The Jaguars also claimed a 19-9 advantage on points off turnovers.

Anabitarte led the guests with his 24 points, while also gaining top honors in both rebounds (13) and free throws (11).  Davis added another 15 points, which included a 6-of-12 performance from the floor, and Merrick Small contributed 10 points and three rebounds in his 12 minutes of action.  Anabitarte and Small combined to convert 17-of-18 attempts from the charity stripe as part of a 22-of-27 total team showing (81.5 pct.) for USF.

Vincent Davis topped the Governors State charts with 21 points.  Isom provided another 19 points for the Jaguars.

Up Next
The Saints will look to extend their five-game winning streak on Saturday, Jan. 11 when they host Viterbo University (Wis.) in a CCAC matchup at 3 pm.

You can also keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.