Lady Cougs fall in the Crossroads Semi
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (15-16, 11-8) | 20 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 76 |
|
Indiana Wesleyan (27-3, 17-1) | 18 | 23 | 28 | 26 | 95 |
MARION, Ind. – The Lady Cougars traveled to Marion, Indiana Friday night to take on the No.5-Ranked Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats in the Crossroads League Semi-Final. The Lady Cougars fell to the CL Tourney number 1 seed, 95-76.
USF led after the first quarter as they took on a quick 7-0 start due to offensive rebounding from Cassidy Crawford and the fast breaking Cougs. Chloe McKnight and Julia Mantyla came out hot shooting for the Cougs and forcing turnovers from the Wildcats. At the end of a very exciting 1st, USF led 19-18.
Turnovers and missed opportunities for the Cougars was their ultimate downfall in the 2nd quarter. The Wildcats woke up and started to put on the pressure and nail their shooting from the field, causing the Cougs to panic. AT the half, USF trailed the Wildcats 33-41.
The Wildcats scored 8 points from USF turnovers in the 3rd quarter and outrebounded the Cougars to contribute to their 50% shooting from 3-point range. The momentum and slow start from the Cougars in the 3rd was their imminent downfall in the match-up, as the deficit grew larger in the fourth, halting the Cougars run in the Crossroads League Tournament.
Key contributors in the game came from Cassidy Crawford who tallied 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Chloe McKnight had the biggest scoring night of her season recording 28 points and leading overall scoring from both sides, while also contributing 8 rebounds & 2 assists.
The Lady Cougars will await the NAIA votes to keep their National Championship dreams alive. Cougar fans stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.