Box Score Fort Wayne, IN - The Spring Arbor women's basketball team trudged into their first round Crossroads League tournament matchup with hopes of extending their improbable season, but ultimately fell to the host St. Francis Cougars, 53-65.
 
After a steady first quarter where the Cougars connected on four three-pointers and stormed to a 7-point first quarter advantage, quickly pushing that lead to 10 early in the second quarter following a triple from Alize Tripp.
 
From there, however, the Cougar offense went cold. Their ten point lead quickly evaporated, as St. Francis controlled the remainder of the quarter and outscored the Cougars 26-9 from that point on. Spring Arbor trailed 32-39 at the break.
 
In the third quarter, St. Francis managed to keep their lead at double digits for most of the period, and the Cougars headed into the fourth down eight with not only the game on the line, but perhaps their season as well.
 
Any hope for a Cougar comeback was quickly silenced in the fourth, as Spring Arbor could not find their groove. They shot 2/15 from the field and 0/7 from behind the arc, and St. Francis was able to preserve their lead and punch their ticket to the semi-finals of the Crossroads League tournament.
 
The Cougars held the advantage in the rebounding, forced turnovers, fouls and free throw shooting departments, but poor shooting was what doomed them. They only managed to shoot 25% from both the floor and from behind the arc, while St. Francis managed 45% and 53% shooting splits. The poor shooting allowed St. Francis to double and even triple team the post, forcing the Cougars to make adjustments on the fly, but at the end of the day, shots just weren't falling.
 
The loss puts an end to a truly historic season for Cougar basketball. In this first season, Coach John Williams IV and his staff took a program that went 4-23 the previous year, and turned them into a legit Crossroads League contender. Their 19 wins are the most in program history, and was their first double-digit wins season in five years.
 
The Cougars did not lose a game by more than 16 points all season, and were in a spot to win in every game they played this season. Williams' leadership paired with the Cougars returning much of their squad from this season makes for an exciting time for Spring Arbor women's basketball fans. Cougar basketball is back.
 
The Basics:
Spring Arbor 53, St. Francis 65
Fort Wayne, IN
Spring Arbor 19-10, (9-10 CL) St. Francis 15-14, (11-8 CL)
 
Game Starts:
- Spring Arbor was led in scoring by Alize Tripp, who scored 17 points.
- The Cougars knocked down 6 threes in the first half, but went cold and only saw one more make the rest of the game, finishing 7/28 from three-point range.
- Spring Arbor shot 16/17 from the free throw line, with their first miss not coming until the fourth quarter.
- No Cougar starter managed to shoot over 50% from the field, with three shooting below 33% from the field.
- St. Francis was led by Ally Madden, who posted a double-double off the bench with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Next Up: The Cougars now wait to see if they did enough to impress the committee and earn a spot in the NAIA National Tournament. They boast a win versus a top-5 team in the country in Marian University. The selection show airs March 4th.