FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 9 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's basketball team battled visiting No. 12 Knights in a top-15 showdown, with a chance to advance to the Crossroads League Championship on the line. The Knights stopped the Cougars, winning the game by a final score of 67-64 in overtime on Saturday, March 1.

USF took an early lead, going up 11-8 at the 4:01 mark of the first quarter. Marian responded with a layup at 2:06, narrowing the Cougars' lead to one point. However, Saint Francis answered back with a layup, ending the first quarter ahead 15-12. As the first half neared its end, the Cougars extended their lead to ten points with less than a minute left. The Knights hit a three-pointer right before halftime, bringing the score to 30-23 in favor of USF.

Julia Mantyla kicked off the third quarter with two layups, giving USF a 34-32 lead. At the 2:05 mark in the third, the Knights managed to cut the Cougars' lead to five points. Saint Francis countered with a layup and a free throw from Taylor Fordyce, extending their lead by three points. The third quarter concluded with USF ahead 45-39. Marian mounted a strong comeback in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 55-55 with 1:50 remaining. Neither team was able to score again, resulting in a 55-55 tie as the fourth quarter ended, pushing the game into overtime.

 In overtime, Mantyla began with two free throws, putting USF ahead 57-55. The Knights quickly responded with two layups, regaining the lead at 59-57 with 3:23 left on the clock. The teams continued to trade baskets until Marian pulled ahead, making it a four-point game with just 15 seconds to play. The Cougars managed to cut the Knights' lead to 66-64 with eight seconds remaining, but Marian sealed the win with a free throw at the six-second mark, bringing the final score to 67-64. As a result, Marian won Saturday's game and advanced to the Crossroads League Tournament Championship.

The Cougars shot 40.0% from the field (22-55) and 46.7% (7-15) from three-point range on Saturday afternoon. Mantyla led with 18 points, followed by a double-double from Cassidy Crawford with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Isabella Gizzi added 10 points and four rebounds. Fordyce finished with nine points, while Chloe McKnight had eight rebounds and six rebounds.

Saint Francis women's basketball is now 26-4 in the season and is awaiting the seeding of the NAIA Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be announced on March 6 at 8 p.m. on the NAIA YouTube Channel.

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