USF men fall in second round of NAIA tourney

Someone finally figured out those resilient underdogs from Joliet.
USF men’s basketball encountered a deficit it could not come back from on Friday morning when Indiana University East finished the game on a 21-5 spurt, ending the Saints’ magical run 77-61 in the second round of the NAIA DII Men’s Basketball National Championship.
“As coaches, we talk about togetherness and connectedness; the word that we use is neighborhood,” head coach Ryan Marks said, reflecting on the Saints’ last three weeks that turned a seven-game losing streak into the program’s first NAIA National Tournament win. “We are constantly striving to help our neighbors, get help from our neighbors and create a truly harmonious neighborhood. The validation of this message came from the close losses that we experienced. We could have become fragmented. We could have waited for next year. Instead, the relationships of the guys and their dedication to the neighborhood allowed us to turn things around and play our best basketball over the last couple of weeks.”
Throughout that stretch, the Saints (20-15) captured the hearts of many with their resilient ways. No strangers to playing from behind, USF had to do so for much of Friday’s contest. IU East (26-8) jumped out to a lead of at least seven points twice during the first half, but USF clawed its way back. Early in the game, five straight points from Mitch Kwasigroch (Manhattan, Ill./Joliet JC) capped a 12-2 run that knotted the score at 14. And later, a similar run led to a Cole Micek (Los Angeles, Calif./Moorpark College) and-one that put St. Francis ahead for the first time at 34-32.
After a 38-38 deadlock at the break, the teams went back and forth for the majority of the second half. Neither team gained separation of more than four points until IU East’s final push, which started when the game was tied 56-56 with eight minutes to play.
“I think if the game was longer, we would have made another run,” Marks said. “Tremendous credit to IU East. They played some good defensive possessions that got us out of rhythm. They completed plays better than we did. IU East has a tremendous program and this year’s team has the ability to win the whole thing.”
A trio of juniors – Kwasigroch, Micek and Malik Bailey (Tutwiler, Miss./Coahoma CC) – were the Saints’ leading scorers with 13, 10 and nine respectively. Seniors Terrion Howard (Champaign, Ill./Centennial), Pietro Badalassi (Canberra, Australia/Central Maine CC), Antonio Hughes (San Francisco, Calif./Skyline College), Samson Oyediran (London, England/Tennessee State) and Garrett Jackson (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Cochise College) combined for 15 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Marks praised the senior class for the example they’ve set.
“You look at the way they’ve represented our program in exemplary fashion in the classroom, in the community and on the court,” Marks said. “The fact that all of them represented us in that way is really heartwarming.”
IU East’s Jaylen McKay scored a game-high 25 points, while Aaron Thomas added a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds). The Redwolves scored 13 straight points as a part of their game-ending run.
St. Francis wraps up its season with a 20-15 overall record.