ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- The University of St. Francis men's basketball team rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second half before dropping an eventual 102-97 decision to NCAA Division II Lewis University in an exhibition contest on Thursday evening.
After facing NCAA Division I University of Illinois Chicago in another exhibition on Monday, the Fighting Saints (0-2) used 38 free throws to offset a strong inside presence by Lewis (0-0) to keep the game tight. USF managed a better shooting percentage (55.3 percent, 26-of-47) than the Flyers, who connected on 51.4 percent of their attempts overall (38-of-74), but faltered in points off turnovers, scoring just eight points to Lewis' 25 in that category.
Lewis controlled the first half, leading by as many as 23 points on five occasions. The hosts outscored the Saints 30-12 on points in the paint, but head coach
Ryan Marks' club was able to take advantage of Lewis fouls to close the gap with 19 free throws in the period to mark the score at 56-39 to close the half.
Lewis was able to maintain its advantage between 14-20 points within the first 16 minutes of the second half, but St. Francis got the deficit back down to three points (98-95) with a 16-5 run highlighted by a three-pointer from
Joe Niego and two dunks by
Tavariyuan Williams over a 3:10 stretch leaving 51 seconds on the clock. The scoring burst looked to swing the momentum in the Saints' direction, but the Flyers made perfect on four straight free throws down the stretch before time expired to mark the final score at 102-97.
The contest marked the third year - with the exception of the 2025-26 season - that both teams came together to honor former Saint and Flyer Hall of Fame inductee Tony Delgado, who passed away unexpectedly in the summer of 2023. Delgado played both baseball and basketball at Lewis before serving as the head coach of the latter sport and as an assistant on the diamond. He then went over to St. Francis, where he served as an assistant coach in women's basketball and both an assistant and the head coach in baseball.
Following the game, Williams and Lewis' Jajuan Cozark were named the Tony Delgado Memorial Players of the Game. Williams tallied a game-high 32 points, which included an 11-for-15 performance from the floor. He also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Cozark led the Flyers with a team-high 25 points and nine rebounds.
Nick Niego (15 points) and
Bryce Tillery (14) each authored double-digit games for St. Francis with
Nick Niego connecting on a game-best four treys.
Up Next
The Saints are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 14 with a 3 pm tip-off against NCAA Division III Eureka College. The game is the home opener for the Saints and will take place in the Pat Sullivan Center.
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