AVE MARIA, Fla. - The No. 11 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's basketball team traveled to the Sunshine State for two non-conference matchups against Ave Maria University and New College of Florida on December 15-16. 

The Cougars held both opponents under 50 points as USF defeated the Ave Maria Gyrenes 70-49 on Sunday before earning a 76-42 victory over the Mighty Banyans on Monday. 

#11 SAINT FRANCIS 70, AVE MARIA 49

Chloe McKnight set the tone for Sunday's game with a three-point shot just 20 seconds in, giving the Cougars an early 3-0 lead. USF went on to outscore Ave Maria 22-13 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Saint Francis extended its lead to 27-15 with a jump shot at the 5:35 mark. The Cougars scored 12 more points while holding the Gyrenes to only eight, resulting in a 39-23 lead at halftime.

The Gyrenes attempted to rally in the third quarter, narrowly outscoring the Cougars 12-11, but Saint Francis still maintained a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter. USF shot 50% from the floor in that final quarter. A jump shot from Cassidy Crawford gave Saint Francis their largest lead of the night at 63-41 with 5:26 remaining in the game. The Cougars defeated Ave Maria with a final score of 70-49, improving their record to 12-0 on the season.

As a team, Saint Francis shot 44.4% (24-54) from the field and 45.2% (14-31) from three-point range. The Cougars were also able to score 29 points off the Gyrenes' 25 turnovers. Cali Gregory led the Cougars with 22 points after shooting 47% from the floor and making six three-pointers. McKnight also drained six threes en route to 18 points. The senior guard also pulled down six rebounds and dished out three assists. Crawford finished with 10 points, while Isabella Gizzi added six points and four assists. Julia Mantyla led defensively with six steals while contributing eight points.

#11 SAINT FRANCIS 76, NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA 46

The Cougars' defense started strong in Monday's game, keeping New College of Florida scoreless and forcing six turnovers in the first quarter, which allowed them to take a 20-0 lead. In the second quarter, both USF's offense and defense remained effective, outscoring the Mighty Banyans 20-10, bringing the halftime score to 40-10.

Freshman Samiyah Stout made a layup that gave Saint Francis their largest lead of the night, extending it to 38 points at 55-17 with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter. The Saint Francis bench contributed significantly in Monday afternoon's matchup, scoring 38 points, helping lead to a 76-42 victory and keeping the Cougars undefeated for the season.

Overall, the Cougars shot 40.8% (29-71) from the field and outrebounded the Mighty Banyans 43-22. McKnight led the Cougars with 11 points and nine rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. Mantyla and Gregory followed with eight points apiece. Taylor Fordyce and Gizzi added seven points each, while Crawford dished out three assists and pulled down five rebounds on Monday.

Up next, USF women's basketball (13-0, 4-0) will close out 2024 on the road at Rochester Christian on December 28. The Cougars will return to the Hutzell Athletic Center on January 4 with a Crossroads League matchup against Indiana Wesleyan. 

Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.