SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- The University of St. Francis women's basketball team's postseason run came to an end on Saturday night when the Fighting Saints fell to NAIA No. 1-ranked Dordt University (Iowa) 73-48 in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round Sioux City Bracket championship game.

The Fighting Saints attempted to break the Defenders' 35-game home winning streak at De Witt Gymnasium - which extends back to the 2022-23 season - and find a crack in the defending national champions' 30-2 overall record, but Dordt's inside presence proved to be too much for the Saints to handle over the game's 40 minutes.

Tykara Harrison (13 points) was the only Saint to record double-figure scoring in the contest for USF.  Amou Ring (seven rebounds) and Symone Harrell (six) paced the Saints on the boards, while Coryn Fromm led all St. Francis players with three assists.

Harrison was 5-for-13 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line, while Le'lani Harris delivered nine points on two baskets in four attempts and five free throws in eight tries. As a team, the Saints were steady at the foul line on the night, converting on eight of their 11 attempts.

From the field, USF hit 34.0 percent of its shots (18-of-53), while Dordt had 11 more field goals and two more attempts for a 52.7 percent reading (29-for-55). The Defenders also won the rebounding battle 39-24.

DU's Willow Bleeker led all scorers with 18 points.

After building an opening 20-13 lead after the first quarter, the Defenders got their advantage as high as 21 points in the second quarter before settling for a 44-25 advantage at the break.  The stretch that hurt the Saints the most came just after they had cut the deficit to three points (22-19) with 6:57 remaining in the second quarter.  Over the next 12 minutes extending into the second half, Dordt (31-2) outscored the Saints 29-11 to go up 51-30 with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.  Included in that stretch was a 20-2 run in the closing minutes of the first half that saw Dordt score on 10 straight possessions, while USF connected for one basket in eight attempts, while turning the ball over two times.

Dordt's lead would get no lower than 16 points the rest of the way and soar as high as 27 points in the fourth quarter.  Keijah Gray would sink two jumpers on USF's final two possessions to cap the scoring and finalize the 73-48 score.

The Defenders capitalized on their inside presence throughout the game, authoring an 18-point scoring advantage (38-20) on points in the paint.  The hosts also claimed an 11-point benefit on second-chance opportunities (15-4), which resulted in a combined 29-point swing in the Defenders' favor.

The Saints closed out the season at 25-8 overall with advancement to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round championship game for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Click HERE for Game Highlights.

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