GOSHEN, Ind. -- The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars traveled to Goshen College with the intention of getting a big win. USF was without 7-footer, Jake Cherry, who was out due to injury. The Cougars needed this win to keep their hopes alive for the CL League Conference Tournament & the NAIA National Tournament. USF took on the Goshen College Maple Leaf's at the Roman Gingerich Rec Center in a Crossroads League match-up last night. The Cougars won the contest with a final score of 88-79.  

USF started the game on a slow start trailing at the 18-minute mark to a score of 9-2. The first half remained slow for USF trailing at the half 41-37. USF sophomore Branden Northern took control of the game in scoring with 27 points going 11-for-16 from the field. The Maple Leaf's came out battling, but USF had too much power for Goshen to keep up. Goshen's main scorer was another sophomore guard Judah Simfukwe scoring 19 points. USF guard Zane Burke also came ready to play in the second half scoring 18 points in total. Freshman big man, Isaiah Malone, added 20 points and 11 rebounds in a stellar double-double night, and his first of a long career at USF.

The Cougars are back in Hutzell Athletic Center for Crossroads League play this Saturday, February 3rd. USF will battle the Huntington University Foresters at 3:00 PM as they look to shock the conference in a highly anticipated match-up.  

Cougar fans stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.  

-Grant Ott-Large-