MITCHELL, S.D. -- The University of St. Francis women's basketball team's postseason run came to an end on Friday night when the Fighting Saints fell to NAIA No. 9-ranked Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 83-55 in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round Mitchell Bracket first round game.

The Fighting Saints attempted to be just the second team to defeat the Tigers at the Corn Palace, but DWU's inside presence proved to be too much for the Saints to handle over the game's 40 minutes.

Tykara Harrison (19 points) and Le'lani Harris (19) were the only Saints to record double-figure scoring in the contest for USF.  Mia Kennelly (five rebounds), Harris (four) and Symone Harrell (four) paced the Saints on the boards, while Harris and Zhane Singer led all St. Francis players with two steals each.

Harrison was 7-for-14 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line, while Harris delivered her points on six baskets in 21 attempts and five free throws in five tries. As a team, the Saints were steady at the foul line on the night, converting on eight of their nine attempts.

From the field, USF hit 32.8 percent of its shots (19-of-58), while Dakota Wesleyan had eight more field goals in one less attempt for a 47.4 percent reading (27-for-57). The Tigers also won the rebounding battle 38-20 and connected for 23-of-27 attempts from the charity stripe.

DWU's Rylee Rosenquist led all Tiger scorers with 19 points.

After building an opening 25-19 lead after the first quarter, the Tigers got their advantage as high as 15 points in the second quarter before settling for a 45-30 advantage at the break.  The stretch that hurt the Saints the most came just after they had cut the deficit to one point (30-29) with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter.  Over the next 14 minutes extending into the second half, Dakota Wesleyan outscored the Saints 31-6 to go up 61-35 with 1:51 remaining in the third quarter.  Included in that stretch was a 15-1 run in the closing minutes of the first half that saw the Tigers score on six straight possessions, while USF connected for no field goals in four attempts, while turning the ball over four times.

Dakota Wesleyan's lead would get no lower than 17 points the rest of the way and soar as high as 28 points in the fourth quarter.  The hosts would sink two free throws in the last minute of regulation to cap the scoring and finalize the 83-55 score.

Dakota Wesleyan capitalized on its inside presence throughout the game, authoring a 20-point scoring advantage (38-18) on points in the paint.  The Tigers also claimed an eight-point benefit on fast break opportunities (10-2), which resulted in a combined 28-point swing in DWU's favor.

The Saints closed out the season at 25-5 overall with advancement to the NAIA National Tournament for the ninth time in program history.

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