St. Francis (IL) News
Tue, Jan 19, 2010 - [Women's Basketball]
Senior Jacqie Storm scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Saints to the come-from-behind win.
Senior Jacqie Storm scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Saints to the come-from-behind win.

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Senior guard Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) scored a game-high 24 points as University of St. Francis rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to win its seventh straight game with an 85-82 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference decision over Olivet Nazarene in women's  basketball action Tuesday night.

The Saints (12-10, 3-0) trailed 55-43 with 16:08 left in the second half and then by a 57-46 margin moments later before making their comeback. USF ran off a 14-0 spurt over the next three minutes to take a 60-57 lead.

Olivet Nazarene came back to take a 66-64 lead but the Saints'  reserves came off the bench and took the lead for good at the eight-minute mark when sophomore Michelle Karr (Providence Catholic H.S./Tinley Park, IL) drained a 3-pointer from the corner to put USF ahead 69-66.  

The Tigers (8-13, 0-2) managed to tie the game on two more occasions at 72-72 and 74-74 but USF would not lose the lead again. Senior guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) made a layup with 57 seconds left to give USF an 80-76 edge and added a pair of free throws at the 42-second mark to push the advantage to a half-dozen points -- the Saints' biggest lead of the game -- at 82-76.

Olivet kept things interesting with a pair of 3-point baskets wrapped around a Storm layup to keep the margin at just two points -- 84-82 -- with 11 seconds left. But Sears made one more free throw and USF blocked the Tigers' final shot to hold on for the 3-point win. 

Sears finished with 15 points and sophomore reserve guard Julie Schiffler (Nazareth Academy/La Grange Park, IL) added 11 to add support to Storm's season-high 24 points. Sears also led the Saints with 8 rebounds.

USF now has an 11-day break before traveling to South Bend, Ind., for a CCAC matchup at Indiana University South Bend on Jan. 30. The Saints have not lost since the semifinal round of the Saint Xavier Christmas Tournament on Dec. 28. They have won nine of their last 10 games after standing just 3-9 following a loss to College of the Ozarks on Dec. 20.