FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Junior Tommy Hamilton collected a career-high 26 points, but it was not enough to stop No. 8 University of Saint Francis from claiming a 93-83 victory over Spring Arbor University on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.
The Cougars finished the season with a 20-11 record – the team's first 20-win season since 2012-13.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 93, #8 Saint Francis 83
LOCATION: Hutzell Athletic Center | Fort Wayne, Ind.
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 20-11, Saint Francis 24-7
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Freshmen Brandon Durnell made his first career start while fellow freshman Ben Geschke made his second start of the season in Wednesday night's quarterfinal matchup, and helped provide a spark as Spring Arbor led 16-15 at the 14:22 mark following back-to-back buckets from the duo.
- Senior Zach Medendorp also got off to a hot start, making his first four field goal attempts, including a pair of three-pointers.
- The Cougars extended their lead to eight, 36-28, behind a 12-6 run, fueled by nine points from Hamilton.
- After scoring 39 points through the first 13 minutes, SAU was held scoreless over the final 6:30 of the first half. Saint Francis capitalized on the drought and closed out the first half on a 13-0 run to grab a 45-39 lead heading into halftime.
- The second half was one of runs for both teams. Saint Francis increased its lead to double digits early in the stanza, but Spring Arbor countered with a 12-0 scoring spurt capped by a triple from Drew Zuidema to go up 55-53 with 15:04 left. The home team came right back with a 17-4 run of their own to regain the lead and take control, 83-68 with less than five minutes to go.
- The Cougars made one last push. A pair of three's from Zuidema got the team within striking distance. Geschke followed with a trifecta of his own to close the gap to six at the 2:19 mark. That was as close as SAU would get, however, as USF held on to advance to the tournament's semifinals.
FOR SPRING ARBOR
- Hamilton was 10-for-15 from the field and buried five three-pointers on his way to a career-high 26 points.
- Zuidema followed with 19 points, going 4-for-7 from long range, and Medendorp added 13 points and six rebounds. Durnell and Geschke chipped in eight points apiece.
- Spring Arbor was efficient from the field, ending the evening shooting 52 percent (30-for-58). The Cougars were extremely accurate from behind the arc hitting 14-of-26 shots from three-point range. However, the team struggled at the charity stripe, knocking down just 9-of-18 free throw attempts.
FOR SAINT FRANCIS
- Bryce Lienhoop and Derek Hinen scored 21 points each to lead Saint Francis. Chandler White registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
- USF, who ranks seventh in the nation in field goal percentage, shot 61 percent (35-for-57) from the floor, including a blistering 67 percent (18-for-27) in the second half.
- Saint Francis outscored Spring Arbor 44-16 on points in the paint.
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