JOLIET, Ill. --- After securing their first postseason win since 2013 at home on Tuesday night, the TIU women's basketball team took to the road on Thursday as they battled the 14th-ranked Fighting Saints of St. Francis in the quarterfinal round of the 2020 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament. After falling to USF at home 12 days ago, the Trojans looked to pull off the upset and advance to the semifinal round for the first time in eight years.

Much like in their previous meeting back on February 13, both offenses started slow out of the gate. However, seven minutes into the game, the Saints flipped on the switch and began sinking basket after basket, quickly putting the Trojans into a deep deficit. Struggling to shoot the ball, TIU also was heavily outmatched in rebounding, making it difficult to set up possessions and putting extra pressure on the defensive side of the ball. Trinity would be held without a three-point basket in the first half while USF notched seven from beyond the arc to take a commanding 38-19 lead into halftime.

TIU continued to struggle in the second half, hitting just 30% of their shots from the floor. Paired wth 19 total turnovers, the Trojans could not find any steady momentum throughout the night against the high-powered Saints. Despite Alina Jahnke and Taylor Hibicke establishing a foothold in the inside game, it would not be enough to overcome the speed and quick playmaking ability of St. Francis, as the Trojans dropped their quarterfinal match-up by a final score of 72-41, ending their run for a conference tournament title and NAIA Tournament berth.

Daniela Lopez, Carly Scheblo and Jahnke all led TIU with eight points each in the loss, while Taylor Hibicke notched seven points and 12 rebounds. In addition to five rebounds, Jahnke recorded four blocks, her 20th multi-block game of the season.

ADDITIONAL GAME NOTES

• With the loss, the Trojans fall to 3-13 all-time against St. Francis, and have now lost ten straight to the Fighting Saints. 

• The Saints outscored Trinity 26-0 off of TIU's 19 turnovers.

• USF outscored the Trojans 27-6 off the bench, including 16-1 in the fourth quarter.

• TIU's two lowest scoring games this season have come against St. Francis. In addition to just 41 points tonight, Trinity managed only 39 against USF back on Feb. 13 in their previous meeting.

• For the first time since falling to IU-South Bend on Nov. 17, 2018, all of TIU's scorers were held under ten points

• Taylor Hibicke tied her career-high in total rebounds in the loss with 12.

UP NEXT

With their elimination from the CCAC Tournament, the Trojans (11-11) turn their attention to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) postseason, having reached their .500 win percentage declaration for this season. Information regarding future postseason games this season will be announced at a later date.

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Trinity International University is a comprehensive, national university affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and located in Bannockburn, Illinois, 25 miles north of Chicago. TIU educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness and lifelong learning.