Women's Basketball Starts Season with Two Wins at Ruth Gunden Classic
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (1-0) | 23 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 72 |
|
Cornerstone (MI) (0-2) | 7 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 48 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan-Dearborn (0-3) | 10 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 45 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (2-0) | 30 | 30 | 24 | 26 | 110 |
MISHAWAKA, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's basketball team opened the new season with two wins at the Ruth Gunden Classic hosted by Goshen College on November 1-2.
In their season opener, USF defeated Cornerstone University by a final score of 72-48 before cruising past the University of Michigan-Dearborn by a final of 110-45.
No. 22 SAINT FRANCIS 72, CORNERSTONE 48
In USF's first matchup of the season against Cornerstone, the Cougars grabbed an early 10-0 lead with just under seven minutes to play in the first quarter. Chloe McKnight made a three-point jump shot to put Saint Francis up 23-7 at the end of the opening quarter. The Golden Eagles narrowly outscored the Cougars 13-12 in the second quarter, but USF maintained the 35-20 lead at halftime.
Saint Francis extended their lead to 21 points at the end of the third quarter. Ally Madden put the Cougars up 70-42 with a two-point shot at the 4:14 mark of the fourth quarter. USF would go on to defeat the Golden Eagles 72-48 to improve to 1-0 on the season.
Saint Francis finished the game with a 45.3 field goal percentage and outrebounded Cornerstone 44-23. McKnight led the Cougars with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Cali Gregory added 11 points and three assists, while Julia Mantyla finished the night with 10 points. Abby Stoddard and Cassidy Crawford both had three steals. Samiyah Stout, McKnight and Stoddard each also had a block against the Golden Eagles.
No. 22 SAINT FRANCIS 110, MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 45
The Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 7:50 left to play in the first quarter in a Saturday afternoon matchup against the Wolverines. USF held Michigan-Dearborn to just 10 points in the first quarter as Saint Francis started the second quarter on top 30-10. The Cougars' offense stayed hot, with USF draining a three-pointer just nine seconds into the second. A shot from Rachel Harshman gave Saint Francis the 60-19 lead at halftime.
The Cougars extended their lead to 84-30 after the third quarter and would go on to outscore the Wolverines 26-15 in the fourth quarter for the 65-point victory.
As a team, USF shot 53.8% from the floor, 42.9% from the three-point range outrebounded the Wolverines 58-22. The Cougars also capitalized by scoring 29 points off Michigan-Dearborn turnovers. McKnight finished the afternoon making four of eight three-pointers for a 50% shooting percentage from beyond the three-point arc en route to 20 points against the Wolverines. The senior guard also pulled down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Three other Cougars scored in the double-digits, including Lexi Shelton with 15 points and Gregory and Julia Mantyla both with 14 points apiece. Mantyla also had five assists and two blocks on Saturday.
Up next, USF women's basketball (2-0) will host Olivet Nazarene University in the Cougars' home opener on November 6. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Hutzell Athletic Center.
Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.
