WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Saint Francis Cougars snapped the Forester women’s basketball team’s four-game win streak by handing their visitors an 82-74 loss Saturday afternoon at the Hutzell Athletic Center.

From opening tip, it was obvious both teams came to do battle. The stakes were high with fourth place in the league standings up for grabs. With this W, the Cougars improve to 13-9 overall, 7-6 in the CL while the Foresters drop to 10-7 overall, 6-6 in the league.

Freshman Emily Seboe scorched the nets in the first quarter by drilling four three-pointers. She finished the half with 15 points to go along with six rebounds to keep her team within a point of their hosts, 37-36, by the midway point. While the third quarter saw Saint Francis outscore HU by three, the gap between the two teams never stretched beyond two possessions through the first 30 minutes.

While things remained tight in the fourth, execution down the stretch favored USF with their eight-point win serving as the game’s largest disparity. The Cougars missed just two field goals in the quarter. They were also 13-for-15 from the charity stripe which accounted for half their points in the final ten minutes.

Free throws were the difference in the game. Saint Francis went to the line 26 times to HU’s eight.

Seboe went off for a career-best 28 points. She finished with six triples and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. The 5-11 forward also nabbed a career-high nine rebounds to just miss out on a double double.

Sam Vaughn also had a banner day for Culler and crew. The senior playmaker put up 26 points to establish a new career-best in addition to collecting eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Alexandria Bope, Dazia Drake and Celeste Ryman each added six points.

Meleah Leatherman was at her best for the Cougars by erupting for a career-high 27 points. Cassidy Crawford tossed in 16 points while Elise Scaggs finished with 11.

The Foresters return to Platt Arena on Wednesday to host Bethel at 7:00 p.m.