SPRING ARBOR, Mich. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) men's basketball team fought to an 81-79 road win over Spring Arbor University on Saturday, January 18. 

USF and SAU, who are both receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25, started the first half of action trading baskets. A steal and a basket put USF up 11-8 with 15:12 on the clock. Two free throws put Saint Francis on top 21-13 at the 9:18 mark. Spring Arbor clawed their way back to bring the score within three with just over five minutes left to go in the first half. USF answered, holding SAU to just three points to pull ahead 35-30. As time ran out, Zane Burke made a three-point shot to extend Saint Francis's lead to 38-31 at halftime. 

Saint Francis and Spring Arbor battled back and forth in the second half of Saturday's contest. The USF Cougars managed to build a seven-point lead at the 7:25 mark. However, Spring Arbor responded and with a three-point shot, USF's lead was cut to just one point, bringing the score to 67-66 with four minutes remaining. Saint Francis then increased their lead to four points with a layup and a couple of made free throws, but Spring Arbor countered with a basket, narrowing the gap to one point again at the 2:12 mark. The teams continued to trade baskets until Luke Almodovar scored with 58 seconds left on the clock, giving the USF Cougars a 75-70 lead. After a three-point shot and a split on free throws, the score was 81-79 in favor of Saint Francis with just five seconds left on the clock. As time expired, a last-second three-point attempt from Spring Arbor fell short, securing the 81-79 victory for the USF Cougars.

As a team, the USF Cougars finished the afternoon with a 60 (27-45) field goal percentage and a 43.8 (7-16) three-point shooting percentage. Saint Francis outscored Spring Arbor in the paint 40-26 while scoring 15 points off 10 SAU turnovers. Isaiah Malone shot 10-12 from the floor en route to a career-high 30 points while bringing down 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. The sophomore forward also led the team with three blocks and two steals. Fellow sophomore Almodovar finished with 28 points after making 10 of 13 baskets. Burke added 12 points and four rebounds. Northern and Burke both dished out four assists against Spring Arbor. 

Up next, USF men's basketball (13-6, 6-3) will return to action on Saturday, January 25 at Taylor University. 

Cougar fans stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.