JOLIET, Ill. -- A .578 shooting mark from the field got the NAIA No. 25-ranked University of St. Francis men's basketball team back on track with a 90-52 victory over Olivet Nazarene University in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the Sullivan Center on Saturday afternoon.  Three Saints produced at least 10 points en route to the team's third 90-plus point total of the season after having their 10-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday by Indiana University South Bend.  With the win, St. Francis improves to 18-3 on the year and 12-2 in league play.

St. Francis' 37 field goals in 64 attempts, eight treys, 21 assists and six steals led the Saints to getting 16 players on the court on the day.  Topping the list was Aitor Anabitarte, who made eight of his 12 shots (.667) for 20 points to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.

Merrick Small totaled 15 points with a 6-of-9 showing from the floor, while Delshawn Simms sank three treys as part of his 13 markers.  Defensively, Ben Faatz hit the glass hard with seven rebounds and Small defended the paint well with three total blocks.

After 10 lead changes in the first 10 minutes of play, Olivet (10-12, 8-6 CCAC) took its largest lead of the day (29-23) with seven minutes to play in the first half.  The Saints responded aggressively, however, and went on to score 19 of the next 26 points to go up 42-36 heading into the intermission.  They would eventually double that margin midway through the second half (56-44) before pulling away in the closing ten minutes, expanding their lead to as high as 38 points capped by a Connor Casper dunk followed by buckets from Paolo Mondini-Branzi and Ibrahim Mobayed on USF's last three possessions.  Olivet did not score a field goal in the last 12:35 of the game (0-for-17) with its remaining eight points coming from the charity stripe.

St. Francis dominated in all aspects of the game, besting the Tigers both offensively and defensively.  USF's offensive numbers were aided by a three-point shooting clip of 38.1 percent (8-of-21) to ONU's 18.2 percent showing (4-of-22).  The Saints also netted 46 points in the paint compared to Olivet's 20.  Defensively, USF was able to control the game by holding a 39-26 rebounding advantage and scoring 15 points to the Tigers' two off turnovers.

Olivet's Caleb Swearingen led his team in scoring and also posted a double-double, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next
The Saints will travel to Notre Dame, Ind. on Wednesday, February 5 to face Holy Cross College in a CCAC matchup.  Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

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