CHICAGO -- A closing 28-13 run by Saint Xavier University put an end to a strong second half comeback from the University of St. Francis men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon in an 85-69 Collegiate Athletic Conference loss to the Cougars.  The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for USF and also dropped the Saints down to a tie for second place in conference standings with matching 13-5 league records with Olivet Nazarene University with two games to go in the regular season.

Davion Lawrence and Ashton Atwater each capped off outstanding personal performances for Saint Xavier (11-14, 9-9 CCAC) accounting for over half of the Cougars' points, finishing with 24 and 23 points, respectively, on a combined 16-of-24 reading from the floor (66.7 pct.).

USF (18-7, 13-5 ) was led by Merrick Small's 16 points and five assists.  Justen Morgan contributed another 13 markers, while Damarcies Moore finished with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.

After the two teams began the contest with matching 7-0 runs to even the score over the first five minutes of play, the scoring margin continued to remain tight throughout the duration of the first half which later reflected a 35-35 ballgame at the 4:03 mark.  By halftime, SXU would hold a six-point edge (47-41) aided with a 10-2 scoring run over a three-minute span to close out the half.

That Cougar lead quickly diminished though over the first 10 minutes after the halftime break when the Saints cut their deficit to one point (57-56) after connecting on six of their first 11 shots (54.6 pct.) of the half compared to SXU's 4-of-16 showing (25.0 pct.).  What looked to be a promising comeback suddenly took a turn for the worse for the Saints at that point, however, with the Cougars scoring 15 of the game's next 19 points aided by four USF turnovers and two fouls marking the score at 72-60 with 5:45 to go.  Atwater accounted for five of SXU's 15 points during that pivotal four-minute stretch and later scored nine of the Cougars' final 13 points of their 85-69 victory.

USF, meanwhile, managed only one field goal in the closing six-plus minutes to go along with six free throws.  The Saints' last field goal came with 5:04 remaining.

The Saints converted at a 44.2 clip for the game (23-of-52), and were 9-of-22 from three-point range (.409), while Saint Xavier shot 50.0 percent overall (30-of-60) and 8-of-21 from beyond the arc (.381) with 42 of their points coming in the paint compared to USF's 16.  Turnovers also played a role in the outcome with SXU forcing 15 turnovers for the Saints which resulted in a 17-9 scoring differential in favor of the Cougars.

The two teams combined to shoot 33 free throws on the night with the Saints recording a perfect 14-for-14 showing while SXU carried out a 17-for-19 effort.

Up Next
The Saints are back in action on Wednesday (Feb. 18) when they travel to La Crosse, Wis. to face Viterbo University.  Tip-off is slated for a 7:30 pm start.

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