#1 St. Francis, #7 Governors State To Battle For Men's Basketball Tournament Title
CHICAGO --- No. 7 seed Governors State University continued to ride the upset train, while top-seeded University of St. Francis held serve in the semifinal round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday night.
Governors State scored its second straight upset with its 72-67 road win over No. 6 Calumet College of St. Joseph to advance to Saturday's championship contest. St. Francis had to rally from ten points down in the second half to defeat No. 5 Olivet Nazarene University 72-69.
That sets up Saturday night's title game between Governors State (15-15) and St. Francis (24-5) in Joliet. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm at the Sullivan Center.
Should Governors State win, the Jaguars would gain the league's second automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. Should St. Francis claim victory, Indiana University Northwest would lock up the second bid by virtue of tying for the conference regular-season crown. USF earned the first bid by sharing the title with IUN and gaining the top seed on a points-system tie-breaker.
The meeting between St. Francis and Governors State will be the third of the season with each team winning on the other club's home court. The Saints were victorious 70-66 back on Jan. 8 with Governors State evening the series with its 77-76 win on Feb. 13.
Recapping Thursday:
St. Francis 72, Olivet Nazarene 69
St. Francis trailed by as many as ten points as late as the 13:28 mark of the second half before going on a 13-2 run over the next seven minutes to eventually take control and outscore the Tigers 43-33 after the break. The contest was a story of two halves for both clubs. ONU shot in the 50-percent range both from the field and beyond the arc in the first half. After halftime, however, the Tigers converted just 12 of their 32 shots from the field (.375) and only 2-of-14 from beyond the arc. After shooting under 40 percent in the opening half, USF converted 14 of its 21 shots from the field in the closing 20 minutes. Rahmel Davis had 15 of his game-high 23 points in the big second half for the hosts, with Aitor Anabitarte contributing 17 points and 7 rebounds. Eli Edwards (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Tyler Curl (17 points, 7 rebounds) led Olivet Nazarene.
Governors State 72, Calumet St. Joseph 67
Governors State held Calumet St. Joseph to just 21 second-half points in rallying for its second straight upset. The Crimson Wave converted just seven of their 35 second-half shots (20 pct.) and only 1-of-12 from long range after the break. Governors State was only slightly better from the field at 28.1 percent (9-of-32). The Jaguars, however, went 13-of-16 at the free-throw line in the second half and 19-of-23 for the game. They also out-boarded the hosts 46-33. Vincent Davis (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Isaiah Tolbert (12 points, 9 boards) each had their second big games of the tournament for the winners. Tyrell Isom led GSU with 18 points to go along with six rebounds. Scott Gowan was tops for CCSJ with 19 markers.
The complete schedule and results follow:
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Game #1: No. 1 seed St. Francis 65, No. 8 seed St. Ambrose 59
Game #2: No. 5 seed Olivet Nazarene 75, No. 4 seed Indiana South Bend 73|
Game #3: No. 7 seed Governors State 104, No. 2 seed Indiana Northwest 101 (OT)
Game #4: No. 6 seed Calumet St. Joseph 73, No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 70
Thursday, February 27, 2025 (at site of highest remaining seed)
Game #5: No. 1 seed St. Francis 72, No. 5 seed Olivet Nazarene 69
Game #6: No. 7 seed Governors State 72, No. 6 seed Calumet St. Joseph 67
Saturday, March 1, 2025 (at site of highest remaining seed)
Game #7: No. 7 seed Governors State (15-15) at No. 1 seed St. Francis (24-5) --- 7 pm CT