Cougars Earn Upset Win in Overtime, Finish 2-0 at Bernie Holowicki Classic
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (3-0) | 35 | 31 | 9 | 75 |
|
#21 Madonna (1-1) | 31 | 35 | 6 | 72 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (2-0) | 41 | 47 | 88 |
|
Lawrence Tech (0-2) | 43 | 34 | 77 |
LIVONIA, Mich. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) men's basketball team competed at the Bernie Holowicki Classic hosted by Madonna University on November 1-2.
The Cougars improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating Lawrence Tech 88-77 and earning an upset win over No. 21 Madonna 75-72 in overtime.
SAINT FRANCIS 88, LTU 77
The Cougars and Blue Devils battled back and forth through the first nine minutes of the first half on Friday night. LTU was able to grab a 24-13 lead, but the Cougars responded with an 11-0 run to tie the score up with 7:07 left to play on the clock. The back-and-forth battle continued, with the two teams tying the score three more times before Lawrence Tech took the 43-41 lead at halftime.
A steal and layup from Branden Northern tied the score 43-43 at the 19:48 mark of the second half. After LTU tied the game 70-70, the Cougars took back the lead for good and outscored the Blue Devils 18-7 to secure the ten-point victory.
USF shot 55.4% from the floor and outrebounded LTU 42-33. Luke Almodovar led the Cougars offensively with 22 points and four assists. Three other Cougars scored in double digits against the Blue Devils, including Zane Burke with 14 points, Robert Fry II with 13 points, and Isaiah Malone with 12 points. D'Amare Hood and Northern had two steals apiece, while Joe Reidy and Malone pulled down nine rebounds each on Friday night.
SAINT FRANCIS 75, #21 MADONNA 72 (OT)
Madonna took an early lead in the first half of Saturday's matchup. Two free throws and a made three-point shot from Almodovar put the Cougars ahead 13-12 with just over 11 minutes left to play in the first period. USF would hang onto the lead while holding off the Blue Devils' efforts to take the 35-31 lead at halftime.
Madonna started the second half strong as the Blue Devils retook the lead. Saint Francis answered and grabbed a one-point lead with 16:50 left to play in Saturday's game. The score would be tied up six more times as the two squads put up a hard-fought battle that would result in a 66-66 tie as time ran out to force overtime.
After Madonna took the 70-67 lead in overtime, Northern would drain a three-pointer to knot the score up 70-70. The Cougars would then take the lead off a layup from Reidy and go on to outscore the Blue Devils 9-6 in the overtime period en route to the upset victory in the tournament's finale.
Saint Francis was led by Almodovar who shot 50% from deep and finished the afternoon with 17 total points. Northern scored 16 points against Madonna and dished out a team-high four assists. Malone added 13 points, while Fry finished the game with 11 points. Reidy and Malone each pulled down eight rebounds on Saturday, while Almodovar, Northern, and Fry grabbed two steals apiece.
Up next, USF men's basketball (3-0) will travel to University Park, Ill. to face Governors State University on November 6.
Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.
