FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team is moving on to the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals after knocking off the University of Saint Francis 62-54 on Tuesday night at the Hutzell Athletic Center.
The Cougars fell behind early, and trailed by eight at halftime, but used its stifling defense as a catalyst to fuel the comeback, outscoring USF 42-28 over the final 20 minutes en route to the victory.
Junior Kylie Townsley led the way with 22 points, six rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Autumn Goggin and senior Jessica Mabry also scored in double figures registering 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Spring Arbor was plagued by cold shooting early on going just 2-for-13 from the field in the first quarter as Saint Francis (15-13, 11-7 CL) raced out to a 14-7 lead. The shooting woes continued for the Cougars into the second period as the hosts, behind a 16-point first half performance from First Team All-Crossroads League selection Brooke Ridley, grabbed an 11 point edge with less than a minute to play in the half. However, Townsley was able to convert an old-fashioned three-point play in the closing seconds to close the gap to eight, 28-20, and begin to shift the momentum.
After a back-and-forth first six minutes of the third quarter, baskets by junior Rachel Driesenga and Mabry narrowed the deficit to six. Then, off a USF turnover, sophomore Faith Johnson buried a huge three-pointer to make it 40-37 at the 2:30 mark. The Cougar defense would hold Saint Francis scoreless the remainder of the period, and Mabry would sink a free throw to get SAU within two heading to the fourth quarter.
Spring Arbor opened the final frame on fire scoring the first six points to grab its first lead of the night. Goggin dropped in a pair of lay-ups to begin the run, and following a steal from freshman Ryann Laier, Goggin would connect on a long jumper to give the Cougars a 44-40 advantage.
Spring Arbor picked up its defensive intensity and Saint Francis had no answer as the Cougars held the home team to just two points for more than eight minutes of play. Meanwhile, SAU was converting the USF giveaways into easy buckets on the other end using a 17-2 run to pull ahead 55-42 with 2:05 left on the clock.
Saint Francis made a late push, trimming the deficit to four with under a minute to go, but the Cougars were clutch from the free throw line down the stretch to earn its first postseason victory in more than 10 years.
After shooting just 28 percent in the first half, Spring Arbor shot a torrid clip in the second connecting on 60 percent of its attempts. Saint Francis, one of the league's top scoring teams, was limited to just 36 percent from the field.
Johnson finished with eight points and a team-high three assists while Driesenga added four points and nine rebounds.
The fifth-seeded Cougars (17-14, 8-10 CL) will now travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to take on the top-seeded, and No. 6 ranked, Marian University Knights on Friday, Feb. 26. The contest will tip off at 7 p.m.
Women's Basketball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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