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FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- University of Saint Francis reserve
center Marie Kaufmann scored 20 points and the third-ranked
Cougars used a hot start to end Spring Arbor University's
season, 80-39, on
 Tuesday
night.
USF (25-6) advance to the MCC Tournament semifinals and will
play host to sixth-ranked Bethel College on Friday (Feb. 23)
at Hutzell Athletic Center at 7 p.m.
SAU (8-21) held USF's top two scorers -- Chivonn Keppeler
and Nikki Lewis -- to single-digit scoring, but 10 of the 11
Lady Cougars who played scored to help USF sweep SAU 3-0.
Subbing for foul-plagued Keppeler, Kaufmann scored 14 of her
20 points in the first half helping USF bolt to a 38-22
halftime lead. In the second half, the only other USF player
to score in double figures, Tara Dice, scored 11 of her 16
points.
Dice drilled a 3-pointer just 15 seconds into the game,
Keppeler connected on four consecutive free throws and Lewis
cashed in two charity tosses putting USF in control 9-0. SAU
got no closer than 9-3 as Kaufmann poured in her 14
first-half points through a six minute, 19 second stretch in
the last 10 minutes of the first half.
"We got great effort from everybody tonight and we cut down
on our turnovers in the second half," USF coach Gary Andrews
said. "We needed to come out and jump on them early and we
did. Marie did a great job coming in for Chivonn, who got
into foul trouble. Marie has been playing well, so her play
tonight is no surprise."
After shooting .500 (10 for 20) in the first half, USF
improved to .552 (16 for 29) in the second half. And
USF hit its first 19 free throws of the game before settling
for a 20-for-22 night. USF also controlled a 35-26 edge on
the boards led by reserve Jenny Richards with eight.
Kristen Miller led SAU scoring with 12 points and Mandy
Phillips added 11.
--
GO USF -- |
