POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. --- University of St. Francis gave defending NAIA II national runner-up College of the Ozarks (Mo.) all it could handle at the latter's own McDonald's Cam Jam Tournament Monday night, but the Bobcats carried the hot hand in the second half on their way to a 79-68 victory.

USF (4-12) kept the hosts in check for the first 20 minutes limiting them to just 39 percent shooting from the field (9-of-23) leading to a 31-all deadlock at the break. Ozarks, however, caught fire after halftime shooting 68 percent (17-of-25) to spark a 48-point second-half and the eventual 11-point win.

"Our guys could not have played any harder," said USF head coach Pat Sullivan. "We just got caught in a couple of lapses in the second half and good, quality teams like College of the Ozarks are going to take advantage of those mistakes."

The Bobcats (8-6) looked to pull away in the second half leading by as many as 10 points, 52-42, with 12:02 remaining before the Saints rallied to get within one, 54-53, at the 8:35 mark. USF would get no closer the rest of the way, but kept within three points over the next three minutes before Ozarks used a late 11-4 run to provide some distance in the last five minutes of the game.

"They had to earn every bit of this win," continued Sullivan, whose team was outscored 24-11 at the free throw line. "We gave them a game and I am proud of our guys' efforts, especially how they rallied in the second half."

Junior forward Greg Leavell (Schoolcraft College/Farmington Hills, MI) came off the bench to lead the Saints with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while guards Andrew Fair (Olive-Harvey College/Chicago, IL) and Billy Hubly (Elk Grove H.S./Elk Grove, IL) each contributed 11 points with Fair also pulling in 6 rebounds. Freshman forward Dan Dispenza (Joliet Catholic Academy/Joliet, IL) added another 8 points and a team-high 7 rebounds.

Ozarks countered with a pair of 20-point scorers in Derrick Williams (21) and Mike Wiebe (20). Dustin Todd also scored in double figures for the winners, finishing with 10 markers.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Saints, who go up against Bellevue University (Neb.) on Tuesday to wrap up the tournament. The Bruins (11-6) have won eight in a row and have not lost since the end of November.