No. 6 Saint Francis Advances to NAIA Second Round; Gregory Reaches 1,000 Points

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 6 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's basketball team advanced to the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship Second Round after defeating Brescia University 84-56 in the NAIA First Round, presented by Ballogy, on Friday, March 13.

Cali Gregory scored her 1,000th career point during Friday night's win. The sophomore guard from Convoy, Ohio, drained a three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining in the first quarter to surpass the milestone.

The Cougars, the No. 2 seed in the bracket, took control early against No. 15 seed Brescia, holding the Bearcats to just six points in the first quarter while scoring 23 to take a 23-6 lead. A layup at the 8:34 mark of the second quarter extended Saint Francis' lead to 28-6. The Cougars added 11 more points in the quarter to take a 36-20 advantage into halftime.

Saint Francis carried the momentum into the second half, shooting 75% in the third quarter while scoring 25 points to extend its lead to 61-33 entering the fourth. The Cougars maintained control the rest of the way to secure the 28-point victory and advance in the postseason.

Saint Francis shot 53.4 % (31-58) from the field and 40% (8-20) from three-point range. The Cougars also outscored Brescia 44-20 in the paint and forced 21 Bearcat turnovers. Gregory led Saint Francis with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Isabella Gizzi added 19 points and two steals, while Renna Schwieterman finished with 15 points and three assists. Taylor Fordyce contributed 11 points, and Julia Mantyla added six points and a block.

Saint Francis (28-4) will host No. 7 seed College of Idaho in the NAIA Second Round on Saturday, March 14. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m. inside the Hutzell Athletic Center.

Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.