JOLIET, Ill. - Senior guard Anna Sears (Providence Catholic H.S./Mokena, IL) scored a game-high 24 points to lead University of St. Francis to a 71-56 win over Indiana University South Bend Tuesday night at the USF Recreation Center. The win clinched second place for the Saints (16-12, 7-2) in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season standings.

Sears, one of six seniors playing their final regular season home game at the Rec Center, made 8-of-14 shots from the floor and was perfect from both 3-point range (2-of-2) and the free throw line (6-of-6). She scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half as the Saints completed a season sweep of IUSB (19-9, 5-4) and defeated the Titans for the seventh straight time over the last three seasons.

USF never trailed in the game and took a 31-20 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Saints led by just a single point at 11-10 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half but then went on an 8-0 run to open up a 9-point bulge at 19-10.

USF quickly pushed the lead to as many as 19 points early in the second half as it opened up a 46-27 margin with 14:54 remaining. IUSB then kept itself in the game with an 8-0 spurt that cut the lead to 11 points at 46-35. The Titans were not able to get the deficit into single digits, though, until the five-minute mark when they closed within 57-49.

Sears answered that IUSB rally by scoring the next six USF points to give the Saints a 63-51 edge with just 3:40 left. IUSB could not get any closer in the final minutes of play.

Sophomore center Jen Andes (Hall H.S./Princeton, IL) came off the bench to add 16 points and a team-high 6 rebounds for USF. She and Sears were the only two Saints to score in double figures. Senior guards Jacqie Storm (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) and Katie Carls (St. Bede Academy/Spring Valley, IL) scored 8 points apiece. Storm added a game-high 5 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot. Carls had 4 assists, with a steal and a block as well.

No. 2-ranked Saint Xavier defeated Robert Morris on Tuesday night to wrap up the CCAC regular season title with a 9-1 mark, losing only to USF back on Jan. 12. The Saints are 7-2 with their final regular season outing on Saturday evening at Robert Morris. IUSB and Olivet Nazarene, who play each other on Saturday afternoon in Bourbonnais, are tied for third place at 5-4.

The Saints play at Robert Morris on Saturday at 6 p.m. and open CCAC tournament play with a semifinal game at home a week from Thursday. USF's second-place finish gives the Saints a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The Saints will play host to the winner of a quarterfinal game featuring sixth-seeded Holy Cross College and the winner of Saturday's IUSB-ONU matchup.