St. Francis heats up, shoots past Rockford
From Submitted Reports December 31, 2012 3:22PM
Updated: December 31, 2012 3:25PM
University of St. Francis shot 56 percent from the field and 64 percent from three-point range in the second half en route to a 74-60 win over Rockford College in men’s basketball action Monday at the Sullivan Center.
The victory extended the Saints’ winning streak to four and marked their sixth consecutive homecourt victory.
Rockford (5-7) led 28-27 after a first half that featured 11 lead changes and five ties. Neither team led by more than three points for the final 12:33 of the half.
Andrew Lerg hit three three-pointers in the first 4:34 of the second half as St. Francis (10-5) built a 46-38 lead.
The Regents then went on a 12-4 run to tie the game at 50, but St. Francis took the lead for good on two free throws by Tautvydas Kairys with 11:11 remaining.
St. Francis took its first double-digit lead at the 7:15 mark when Logan Timmons buried two free throws to put the Saints on top 62-52.
The Saints made just 2-of-11 three-point attempts in the first half before connecting on 7-of-11 in the second stanza.
Extending his seasonlong double-digit scoring streak to 15 games, Chris Miller paced St. Francis with 15 points. Mark Peters added 14 while Billy Hubly and Michael Cole netted 13 and 10, respectively. Cole also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Scott Suchy led the Regents with a game-high 18 points. Tory Minnifield (17 points) and David Dixon (13) also finished in double figures.
St. Francis continues its five-game homestand at 7 p.m. Thursday when it returns to Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play against Indiana University-South Bend.
