GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The University of St. Francis men's basketball team rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half before dropping an eventual 73-68 non-conference decision to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Ind.) in Day 2 of the Aquinas College Classic on Saturday morning.
The Fighting Saints (0-2) used a big second half in which they bested their first half scoring by 36 points (16-52) to keep the game tight. USF managed only four field goals in the first 20 minutes compared to 15 in the second half, but the Pomeroys met those second half numbers with 14 field goals of their own to retain the edge that would result in SMWC's five-point victory.
The Saints led by four points (9-5) five minutes into the first half, but a 21-7 run - that consisted of 12 consecutive missed shots in a 10 minute span - over the final 15 minutes propelled the Pomeroys to its largest lead of the opening half at 26-16 heading into the locker rooms.
The game teetered between a 10 to 12 point SMWC advantage for the majority of the second half until a breakaway layup put the Pomeroys up by 14 points (62-47) with 5:40 left to play. Fueled by six points from
Brady Cooper and another five points each from
Greyson Harrington and
Bryce Tillery, the Saints came to within three points at 71-68 with 12 seconds remaining on the clock by sparking a 21-9 run. SMWC would maintain its advantage, however, as two subsequent free throws were matched by two missed three point tries from the Saints resulting in the 73-68 final score.
Tillery tallied a team-high 14 points, while Cooper and
Nick Niego each authored 10-point games.Â
Tavariyuan Williams led all players with eight rebounds.
Up Next
USF hits the court again on Monday, Nov. 2 when it travels to Chicago to take on NCAA I University of Illinois-Chicago at the Credit Union 1 Arena in an exhibition contest starting at 4 pm.
You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.
