JOLIET, Ill. -- With the aid of Le'lani Harris' 32-point night, the University of St. Francis women's basketball team was able to overcome a double-digit second-half lead shrinking to just a three-point margin before claiming an 88-81 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win over Saint Xavier University on Saturday afternoon

A solid inside presence and free throws proved to be key factors in the outcome with the Fighting Saints burying 21-of-25 chances from the charity stripe and cashing in on another 28 points in the paint.  The win marked the Fighting Saints' 25th of the season, improving their overall record to 25-3, while also closing out the regular season with a 17-3 mark in league play.  Prior to the contest, St. Francis honored its three seniors, Le'lani Harris, Tykara Harrison and Laurelei Thormeyer.

The win enabled the Fighting Saints to secure the second seed in next week's CCAC Tournament.  USF will host seven-seeded St. Ambrose University (Iowa) to begin postseason play on Tuesday.

With St. Francis holding an 18-point lead (27-9) after the first quarter, the Saints led by as many as 20 points midway through the second period before a 10-3 SXU run later followed by a 5-0 spurt in the half's final 11 seconds helped the guests outscore the Saints 22-16 in the frame and cut their deficit to 12 points (43-31) heading into the intermission.  The Cougars continued to build on that momentum and took advantage of USF's only sub-40 percent shooting performance in the third quarter, outscoring the Saints 28-24 in the frame with Saint Xavier defenders holding St. Francis to just three baskets in ten attempts with four turnovers in the stanza's final five minutes.  The fourth quarter then showcased the two teams swapping baskets throughout the first eight minutes allowing St. Francis to retain its eight-point advantage before a deep three-pointer followed by two successful free throws from SXU over a 50 second span brought the Cougars into a one-possession game (84-81) with thirty seconds to go.
USF would connect for two free throws quickly thereafter to bring the score back to a five-point differential, but a missed three-pointer from SXU resulted in the Cougars needing to resort to another foul in the game's remaining seconds, allowing the Saints to hold on with two more free throws and seal the seven-point win.

Harris led the way for USF with a game-high 32 points, shooting 10-for-17 from the field while making all nine of her free throw attempts.  Harrison provided 18 points and pulled down five boards, while Symone Harrell recorded a game-best 10 rebounds.  For the game, St. Francis shot 45.3 percent from the field (29-of-64) and 42.9 percent from behind the arc (9-of-21).

Brooklynn Johnson poured in a team-high 30 points for Saint Xavier, which fell to 18-10 overall and 14-6 in CCAC action on the season.  The Cougars committed nine turnovers leading to 15 USF points and shot 41.9 percent from the field (26-of-62) and 17-for-20 from the charity stripe.

Up Next
St. Francis will host St. Ambrose University (Iowa) on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the first round of the CCAC Tournament.  Game time is slated for 7 pm.

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