JOLIET, Ill. -- Behind Rahmel Davis' game-high 23 points and three other Fighting Saints players scoring in double figures, the University of St. Francis men's basketball team earned its second straight victory of the 2025 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday night by defeating Olivet Nazarene University 72-69 at the Pat Sullivan Center.  The No. 1-seeded Saints limited No. 5 ONU to just four points over a 10-minute span in the second half and then held on for the three-point win to advance to the league championship game, which will take place on Saturday night at 7 pm inside the Sullivan Center.

Aitor Anabitarte provided another 17 points for the Saints with nine coming from beyond the arc in five attempts.  Joffrey Nunnally and Ben Faatz also were solid from the field with the former going 3-for-4 as part of an 11-point night for him.  Faatz, meanwhile, sank four of his six attempts en route to a 10-point night.  Anabitarte, Faatz and Connor Casper also combined to supply 18 of the Saints' 31 rebounds.

After opening the game by holding a seven-point lead over the first seven minutes, the Fighting Saints (24-5) found themselves facing a 36-26 deficit with just over one minute remaining in the first half.  A pair of free throws from Anabitarte along with one more by Faatz down the stretch cut that deficit to 36-29 at the break.

The visitors' lead would eventually turn back to a 10-point advantage (50-40) at the 13:28 mark of the second half, where the Tigers used their inside presence to score 12 of their first 14 points of the half in the paint.  A clutch three-pointer from Anabitarte on the Saints' next possession finally broke the ice for USF.  It would be one of seven straight baskets the Saints would make as part of a 10-minute, 20-4 scoring surge to open up a 60-54 advantage with 2:53 to play.  The run would be capped with four straight layups and a free throw from Davis, who accounted for nine points during the stretch and 15 of his 23 total in the second half..

Olivet, meanwhile, responded by sinking four field goals in the closing three minutes, including two-three pointers to go along with five free throws.  That resulted in the Tigers working themselves back to a three-point deficit three times over that span, but USF would not budge from the free-throw line, connecting for 10 of its remaining 12 points from the stripe.  The Tigers' last field goal of the game came on a half-court heave at the buzzer to mark the final score at 72-69.

After connecting for just 9-of-23 attempts (39.1 percent) in the first 20 minutes, USF used a 66.7 percent shooting effort (14-of-21) in the second half and 13 free throws to support a tremendous defensive effort in outscoring the Tigers 43-33 after the break.  Authoring a season-high seven blocks on the night, the Saints also recorded five steals, while only turning the ball over nine times on the offensive end.

Up Next
The win puts the Saints in a championship game matchup with No. 7-seeded Governors State University on Saturday (March 1).  Tip-off will commence at 7 pm in the Pat Sullivan Center.

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