JOLIET, Ill. -- Justin Peeples' three-pointer with just 34 seconds left in regulation forced No. 24 St. Francis into overtime, but Trinity International came up just short in its upset bid, falling 82-79 after the extra session on Saturday night in the regular season finale.

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Despite the loss, the Trojans qualified for the CCAC Tournament, which begins Monday night, February 23. TIU will travel to Holy Cross for their First Round matchup, beginning at 6:00 p.m. CST.

Peeples led all scorers with 16 points, while two other Trojans finished in double-figures, including senior Dillon Wadsack season-high 14 points. Sam Salem posted 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Trinity trailed throughout most of the first half, and were down by as much as ten after a pair of free throws from USF with 10:55 remaining in the half. Thomas Amrine cut the Saints' lead down to two with just four minutes until the halftime break with his layup, making it a 21-19 ballgame, but TIU never claimed a lead until after the half. St. Francis took a 34-29 lead at the break, as Peeples' seven points led Trinity.

After Amrine's three-pointer opened the second half, David Chatman tied the game with his steal and layup within the first 30 seconds of the half. Salem's layup at the 18:57 mark briefly put TIU in front, 36-35, but eight unanswered points from the Saints put the home team comfortably ahead again.

St. Francis would take their biggest lead of the night midway through the second half, going up by 11 after a pair of free throws. Peeples scored two straight buckets, starting an 11-2 run and getting TIU back into the game down the stretch.

Nate Ball's layup with 1:36 left gave the Trojans a 70-69 advantage, but USF's Ilya Ilyayev answered with a layup on their next possession. Another set of free throws for the Saints put the Trojans down three before their final possession of regulation, where Peeples connected from long-range to tie the game and force overtime.

USF scored the first points of the overtime period after the first two minutes went by without a bucket, and a pair of James Glass free throws tied the game back up at 75-75 with 2:24 to play. Chatman put the Trojans in front for what proved to be the final time with his layup at the 1:45 mark. The Saints held a three-point edge as the Trojans held possession with just one second left, but TIU couldn't get a shot off to potentially force another OT.

"We are disappointed with tonight's result, but we showed resolve tonight," said head coach Boomer Roberts. "We competed at a high level, and were beat by a ranked team who is 13-1 on their own floor this year. Dillon and James were great off the bench, and [Chatman] and Peeples led us with big time efforts. God continutes to bless our team in many ways, and we are ready for the postseason."