No. 21 Cougars Claim Eighth Straight Behind Cushingberry's Stellar Performance

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Saturday afternoon, the No. 21 University of Saint Francis Cougars (18-4; 8-2 Crossroads) played host to the Goshen College Maple Leafs (6-16; 2-8 Crossroads) at Hutzell Athletic Center and won 76-64 for an eighth consecutive win.

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As the game got underway, both teams started back-and-forth with the score tied at nine six minutes in. Then Goshen took a three-point lead from a three-pointer a minute later, and the next several minutes went with little scoring and several turnovers.

With Saint Francis trailing 17-14, junior guard Jalan Mull got a couple steals back-to-back and turned both into a made layup as the Cougars regained the lead.

The Cougars struggled with three-point shooting to begin the game, going just 2-for-11. But then a couple open shots by junior guard Antwaan Cushingberry put Saint Francis back ahead by five points, and another made three by freshman forward Zane Burke gave the Cougars a 37-29 lead going to halftime.

The Cougars had an eight-point lead at halftime despite going just 4-for-13 from beyond the arc.

But as the second half got started, the Cougars added to their lead now ahead by 10, but then the Maple Leafs got the momentum and chipped away to close to within one point five minutes into the frame.

But after the Cougars called a timeout, they came back to the court and went on to score 15 of the next 17 points to pull ahead by 12 points now ahead 59-45.

Through the next 10 minutes of the half, Saint Francis kept their distance from the Maple Leafs, and forced seven turnovers. With four minutes remaining the Cougars held tight to a 66-56 lead.

Then through the game's final minutes, the Cougars were firing on all cylinders as they prevail for the eighth straight time.

Throughout the game, the Cougars shot 43 percent from the floor, 29 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 69 percent from the free throw line. Antwaan Cushingberry led the team in scoring with 26 points, in rebounds with eight, in assists with five, and in steals with six.

The Cougars resume play on Tuesday evening when they travel to Mount Vernon, Ohio to face the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars (13-7; 4-5 Crossroads) in a road conference matchup beginning at 7:00 pm.