Basketball Finishes Third in Nike TOC Bracket
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Lauren Craig scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead St. Francis to a 72-59 win in the third-place game of the Gold Bracket at the 2015 Nike Tournament of Champions.
“It felt great,” said Craig after the game. “After the game yesterday, we all wanted to come out and play our best to redeem ourselves. It was a great way to end the tournament because we all played extremely hard.”
Craig joined senior Kyra Huffman in recording double-doubles, helping the Troubadours finished with a 3-1 mark in the tournament. Huffman had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
After a tight first quarter, St. Francis (7-1) took its first extended lead with an 11-2 run to start the second period. They led 29-16 at the break.
“We did not get off to the best start,” said Craig. “We kept on pushing and coming back when they made runs. We did not let it get in our way and we continued to play hard.”
The Oilers (8-3) opened the second half with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit, a trend throughout the second half. After the Troubies responded with a 12-0 run highlighted by a Janae Fairbrook three-pointer, SF then led by 19 points. But the Oilers, who beat St. Francis last year at this tournament, refused to give up.
Nakaji scored 12 points in the third quarter for the Oilers, while Gray added 14. Huntington Beach eventually cut the lead down to 49-45 with 7:06 left in the game. St. Francis turned up the defense down the stretch to out-score the Oliers 23-14 over the rest of the game.
Craig scored 11 over her team-high 28 points in the final quarter to help St. Francis hold on down the stretch.
“I think we all really bond,” said Craig. “It brought our team together and I think we are going to do really well in the future together.”
St. Francis returns to tournament play on Dec. 28 with three games at the West Coast Jamboree.
St. Francis 72, Huntington Beach 59 – Nike Tournament of Champions
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington Beach | 10 | 6 | 24 | 19 | 59 |
| St. Francis | 14 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 72 |
SF – Craig 28, Huffman 11, Fairbrook 10, Ortiz 9, Razo 7, Nicolos 3, Williams 2, Koerwitz 2. HB – Gray 20, Nakaji 17, Wade-Sanchez 6, Dang 6, Suruki 5, Mason 3, Anderson 2.