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University of St. Francis (III.)

University of St. Francis (III.)
Damarcies Moore MBKB (1-14-26)
80
St. Ambrose (IA) SAU 6-11, 3-6
81
Winner St. Francis (IL) USF 11-5, 6-3
St. Ambrose (IA) SAU
6-11, 3-6
80
Final
81
St. Francis (IL) USF
11-5, 6-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Ambrose (IA) SAU 38 42 80
St. Francis (IL) USF 35 46 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Moore’s Blocked Shot Helps Saints Secure 81-80 Win Over St. Ambrose

JOLIET, Ill. -- With eight lead changes, eleven tied scores and no more than seven points separating the two teams throughout the duration of the game, the University of St. Francis men's basketball team came through with eight free throws and three buckets down the stretch capped off with a last-second blocked shot from Damarcies Moore to take down St. Ambrose University (Iowa) 81-80 in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest on Wednesday night.  With the win, St. Francis moves to 11-5 overall on the season and 6-3 in league play.

St. Francis jumped out to an 11-4 lead at the outset only to have St. Ambrose (6-11, 3-6 CCAC) respond with 12 straight points to grab its first lead of the game (16-11) midway through the first half.  The Bees would hold that lead for the remaining 10 minutes of the frame and later take a three-point advantage into the locker room at the intermission.

Neither team could break away from the other to start the second half, with the scoring margin staying within four points for the first 13 minutes.  Three straight jumpers from Moore gave the Saints their largest lead of the half (71-64) with 5:11 to go, but that margin eventually shrunk to zero after the Bees went on a late 13-6 surge over the next three minutes and 40 seconds - with the help of two USF turnovers and two fouls - to tie the score at 77-77 with 1:31 left to play.  St. Ambrose then hit a free throw to take the lead before USF returned the favor with two free throws of their own to bounce the one-point margin back in its favor at 79-78.  A SAU layup on the Bees' next possession heightened the dramatics by accounting for the game's third lead change over the 30-second span, leaving the Saints trailing by one point with 1:01 left on the clock. 

After drawing a SAU foul with 43 seconds remaining, Merrick Small made both of his free throws to allow the Saints to go up 81-80, but a missed three-pointer on St. Ambrose's next possession gave the Saints the ball back with 20 seconds on the scoreboard.  Choosing to contend for a steal instead of committing a foul, SAU's strategy proved to be successful after the Bees coaxed a USF turnover eight seconds later to set the stage for a potential buzzer beating try.  With the clock winding down and in his quest for his 30th point of the night, SAU's Guillermo Narbona drove the lane and looked to have an open back-side layup but Moore came from behind with USF's biggest defensive play and blocked Narbona's attempt in the final seconds of the game, resulting in St. Francis securing the dramatic one-point victory.

The Saints finished the game converting at a 49.1 percent mark from the field (28-of-57), while St. Ambrose registered an impressive 62.7 percentage (32-of-51).  Both teams finished the game scoring six points apiece off turnovers, while also registering similar percentages from beyond the arc and in the paint.  St. Francis did take advantage of its 11-6 edge in offensive rebounds, converting 18 second chance points compared to the Bees' 10, but its sparkling 13-for-13 performance from the free throw line - including eight in the game's final five minutes - stood out the most in the one-point win.

Moore secured team-high scoring honors for USF with his 23 points coming via an 8-of-10 performance from the floor, while Small went 6-of-10 for 21 points.  Both men combined for 12 of USF's 13 free throws, and pulled down a combined 11 rebounds.  Greyson Harrington authored nine points after sinking three long range treys, and Ben Kreitz accounted for four rebounds and a hard-fought second-chance layup.

St. Ambrose was led by Narbona's game-high 28 points, with Ignacio Dacunda contributing another 20 markers.

Up Next
St. Francis will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 17 when the Saints face off against Indiana University Northwest for another Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference showdown.  Tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm at the Pat Sullivan Center.

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