GARY, Ind. -- Led by Symone Harrell's career-high 24 points, the University of St. Francis women's basketball team grabbed its 22nd victory of the season, beating Indiana University Northwest 66-56 in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference competition on Saturday afternoon.  Following the win, the Fighting Saints advanced their overall record to 22-3 on the season, and 14-3 in league play.

Harrell led the way offensively for the Saints as she dropped a season-high 24 points off of 9-of-15 shooting with five three-pointers, while recording 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.  Coryn Fromm poured in 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.  Tykara Harrison reached double-digits for the seventeenth time this year with 11 points to her credit, while Laurelei Thormeyer led both teams with a game-high seven assists for USF in the win.

Indiana Northwest (7-17, 6-10 CCAC) carried the offense early on with the RedHawks starting the game with an 11-0 run and maintaining an 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter before sustaining that two-point advantage (20-18) at the 6:47 mark of the second quarter.  The RedHawks saw their lead evaporate, however, when St. Francis connected with three straight three-pointers to fuel the start of a 12-0 run to soar ahead 30-20 over the next three minutes.  The remaining four minutes of the period had the Saints and RedHawks trade baskets St. Francis before the two teams settled for a 40-27 score at the break.  The game showcased three tied scores and four lead changes during the opening half, but the RedHawks were unable to truly deny Harrell on the Saints' offensive end as the sophomore authored 16 USF points in the half.

Neither team could break away from the other to start the second half, with the scoring margin staying within 15 points during the first five minutes of the third quarter.  The offensive switch then came on for head coach John McGinty's club after a successful three-pointer from Harrison followed by six successful baskets shooting on their next 10 possessions gave the Saints a 24-point lead at the end of the frame.  From there, USF's offensive fizzled in the final 10 minutes with the Saints connecting on just 1-of-16 shots in the period, allowing Indiana Northwest to close the scoring gap to 10 points (64-54) with 2:37 to go, but the Saints would hold the visitors to just one of their last three shot attempts to hang on for the 66-56 victory.

The second and third quarters was the most decisive in the game with St. Francis putting up a combined 49 points to the guests' 22.

As a team, St. Francis posted a .324 shooting percentage compared to the RedHawks' .390 mark, while also winning the rebounding battle 46-36.  EJ Brown-Griffin paced Indiana Northwest in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor with a game-high 14 rebounds.

Up Next
St. Francis, who is currently ranked No. 21 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches poll, will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 11 when the Saints face off against Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.).  Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm at the Pat Sullivan Center.

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