BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Using a 15-3 scoring run in the last 4:54 of the game, the University of St. Francis women's basketball team continued its postseason wave of momentum by winning a thriller Friday night, outlasting No. 2-seeded Olivet Nazarene University 76-74 in the semifinal round of the 2025 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. Junior guard Le'lani Harris played hero for the No. 3-seeded Saints by sinking the game-winning layup with just 2.6 seconds left in the contest to give USF its 24th victory of the season.
The Saints (24-6) got off to a strong start, using the long-range shot to pour in 15 of their first 19 points of the game. That first quarter proved to be a back-and-forth battle, however, with neither team having more than a five-point advantage as four lead changes were registered between the two squads.
The Saints took their largest lead of the night in the second quarter, going up by seven points after a breakaway layup from Abby Shepard gave St. Francis a 30-23 advantage at the 5:59 mark. That would be St. Francis' last score in a nearly three-minute dry spell as multiple USF turnovers allowed Olivet (20-10) to cut its deficit to one point (42-41) with its 18-12 run to close out the half.
St. Francis attacked first to start the second half with three straight treys within the first three minutes to open a 51-45 lead. ONU (20-10) remained undeterred, however, and slowly climbed back into the mix, assisted by nine points after four USF turnovers, to retake the lead at 54-53 with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter. Strong defensive pressure would benefit both teams the remainder of the stanza as just two free throws from ONU accounted for the last of the frame's scoring, producing a 56-53 difference heading into the fourth quarter.
The teams traded points through the first three minutes of the final quarter with Olivet hanging on to a three-point lead after a breakaway layup put the score at 64-61. From there, the game looked to teeter in ONU's favor as the Tigers gained the game's next seven points to showcase its largest lead of the night, 71-61. But with 4:54 remaining in the contest, the Saints had an offensive plan that Olivet did not have an answer for as USF's inside presence went on a scoring surge. Producing four straight hard-fought layups before a Shepard three-pointer capped off St. Francis' 11-0 run, the Saints turned the 10-point deficit into a 72-71 lead at the 3:22 mark.
The lead was short-lived, though, as Olivet raced the floor for a layup and a free throw to pull back ahead 74-72 with just under three minutes left. Down two points with 42 seconds remaining, St. Francis decided to drive the lane, which resulted in a foul to send Laurelei Thormeyer to the line. The senior guard would sink both foul shots knotting the game at 74-74.
On the following ONU possession, it was Harris who came through with a big defensive rebound that would set up USF's final try to take the lead. After a blocked shot from ONU gave the Saints the ball under the basket with four seconds remaining on the clock, Harris connected for the shot of the game by sinking a layup off the inbounds pass from Thormeyer to give St. Francis the two-point lead, 76-74. The crowd-silencing shot would prove to be the dagger for Olivet as the home team could not counter, allowing the Saints to celebrate the season-extending win.
St. Francis ended the game shooting 46.6 percent from the floor (27-of-58), besting Olivet's 35.1 mark (26-of-74). Shooting accuracy proved to be the difference with ONU dominating the turnover category, forcing a season-high 30 turnovers from USF, leading to a 35-19 scoring advantage for the Tigers in that category.
Shepard led the Saints in scoring with 23 points, while Thormeyer totaled 17. Tykara Harrison and Harris each registered double-figure scoring numbers, as well, with the former netting 13 points and Harris contributing 11.
Defensively, Amou Ring had the best game of her St. Francis career when it mattered the most, reeling in a career-best 18 boards as part of a season-high team rebounding total for the Saints (50). She also accounted for six blocks in the contest, which played a large factor in shutting down Olivet's inside game, forcing the Tigers to take more low-percentage shots. Symone Harrell was also a huge defensive influence in the game with a game-high seven steals.
Up Next
The win puts the Saints in the championship game matchup with No. 1-seeded Governors State University on Monday (March 3). Tip-off will commence at 5:30 pm at the GSU Athletics & Recreation Center in University Park, Ill.
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