Lady Cougars Open Huntington Classic with 82-62 Win Over IU East
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (4-2) | 18 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 82 |
|
Ind. East (0-5) | 15 | 14 | 12 | 21 | 62 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - On Friday evening, the University of Saint Francis Lady Cougars (4-2) traveled to Huntington, Indiana to compete in the Huntington University Classic with a game against the IU East Red Wolves (0-5) and came away with an 82-62 win.
Opening the game scoring was scarce through the first three minutes as the Lady Cougars led just 3-2. Then a three-point make by junior guard Reganne Pate put Saint Francis ahead by four, and then both offenses started to pick up.
The Lady Cougars built their lead to as big as six points on a couple of occassions in the first quarter, but IU East sank a late three to close the deficit to within three points as the first quarter ended with Saint Francis leading 18-15.
Heading into the second quarter, both teams picked up where they left off by exchanging scores though the Lady Cougars managed to keep their lead. However, the Red Wolves then got a spark and scored six unanswered points to take their first lead of the game 24-23 less than four minutes into the frame. But then sophomore guard Chloe McKnight was sent to the line and sank both free throws to give Saint Francis the lead right back.
No more scoring was done for nearly two more minutes but in the final minute, already leading by five, Chloe McKnight sank a three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to extend the lead for Saint Francis to eight points, and the game went to halftime a 36-29 affair.
As the third quarter got underway the Lady Cougars were still in command though the Red Wolves stayed resilient and kept up in the early minutes. Then in the middle minutes of the frame, Saint Francis gradually added to their lead eventually leading by 14 points over halfway through the frame.
The game entered the fourth quarter with the Lady Cougars leading 57-41.
Come the fourth quarter, the Lady Cougars had all of the momentum and continued to build upon that, making the lead 20 points with seven minutes to play, and never looked back as they earned their fourth victory on the season and open the Huntington Classic on a high note.
Throughout the game, the Lady Cougars shot 50 percent from the floor, 36 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Emily Parrett led the team in scoring with 20 points and also had six rebounds and five assists, while Chloe McKnight chipped in with 15 points of her own, and senior forward Cassidy Crawford added 14 with seven rebounds.
The Lady Cougars will wrap up the Huntington Classic Saturday afternoon with their final game against the IU Southeast Grenadiers (3-1) with tipoff at 1:00 pm.
Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps on USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.
