CHANDLER, Ariz. – The St. Francis basketball team lost their opening game at the Nike Tournament of Champions to Chandler 57-45 Thursday morning.
The Troubadours led 38-32 in the final seconds of the third quarter after posting a 10-1 run capped by a left-side three-pointer by senior Abby Dow, who finished with five points.

“We got after it and forced turnovers and were able to get into transition,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton of the third quarter. “We pushed the ball down the court to get some easy baskets. We had momentum going our way.”

The Wolves managed a basket at the buzzer to close the gap that sparked a 19-0 run to take control of the game.

“We had comeback and built a six-point lead and really went into panic mode when did not need to,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton. “Offensively, everything was hurried and rushed. It is a learning process.”

Before St. Francis (5-4) could stop the run with a free throw by Gillian Balbierz, the damage had been done. Arizona prep rules do not feature a 30-second clock and the Wolves slowed the game down.

“When they went into their spread offense without the 30-second clock, it is something that is totally foreign to us,” said Pitton.

Sophomore Lauren Craig had 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Troubadours. Senior Amanda Davenport added eight points and junior Susie Rogers contributed five points.

“We need to power through and realize need we come together as a team,” said Craig. “We need to work on cutting our turnovers and focus on winning.”

The game was close in the first half as Chandler held a slight two-point advantage at the break. The Troubles got six points by Craig and Amanda Davenport scored five.

“The only way we can get experience is to go through something like today,” said Pitton. “I wish I could do it by just talking but we have experience it. It is another step along the way. Usually you learn more from a loss than a win.”
St. Francis will play the loser of the game between Williams Field and Animo South at 10 a.m. on Friday at Perry High School.

Nike Tournament of Champions
Chandler, Ariz.

Chandler 16 8 10 23 – 57
St. Francis 12 10 16 7 -45

C – Clayton 17, Huston 13, Scott 11, Lewis 7, Lopez 5, Ossian 2, Miller 2. SF – Craig 17, Davenport 8, Rogers 5, Dow 5, Ortiz 4, Huffman 3, Bailey 2, Balbierz 1.