ELK GROVE, Calif. – The St. Francis basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak with a 72-53 win in the Delta League opener over Pleasant Grove on Wednesday.

“I thought we had a lot of energy on defense,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton. “We put pressure on their ball handling and wanted to keep the tempo up. We knew if we got in a half-court game, their size would be a factor.”

Freshman Saniyiah Williams had a breakout game in her first Delta League game, scoring a career-high 17 points with a pair of three-pointers.

“She really stepped up tonight and was able to penetrate and hit her outside shot,” said Pitton. “We have seen it in practice. It is nice to see it in a game.”

St. Francis (5-6, 1-0) trailed early 11-3 after giving up a run to the Eagles after scoring the opening basket. But the Troubadours responded with 12-0 run to take a 15-3 lead and never looked back.

Senior Marlee Nicolos sparked the comeback, scoring 10 first quarter points. She finished with a team-best 22 points and 10 rebounds with four steals and two assists.

“We were all working together in practice with our communication and (because of) how it sparks our energy on the court,” said Nicolos. “We are trying to box out, it is one of our key focuses right now. We are trying to improve on it every game, while taking more of our shots. All of that helped get us back in the game.”

The Troubies followed with a 22-point second quarter as Williams continued to get involved in the game, finishing the half with 11 points. Junior Nika Bagatelos scored five of her 10 points in the period and SF got to the free throw line six times (making 5).

“We are really happy to get off to a great start,” said Nicolos. “Especially coming off a losing streak, we wanted to lead off right with a win. Going into Friday, we are really excited.”

Nicolos note the play of her freshman teammate after the game.

“She is a freshman but she playing amazing,” said Nicolos. “She is really learning quickly and doing everything we are asking for.”

St. Francis plays Davis at Golden 1 Center at 6 p.m. on Friday. Tickets are available at the Southwest Entrance prior to the game. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. The Jesuit boys play Davis in the second game at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are good for both games.

St. Francis 72, Pleasant Grove 53

St. Francis 19 221 15 16 – 72

Pleasant Grove 12 13 17 11 – 53

SF – Nicolos 22, Williams 17, Bagatelos 10, Lopez 8, Fleming-Mullins 6, Kelly 4, Gage 3, Graybill 2. PG – Nunnelly 19, Griffin 10, J. James 7, E. James 6, Asuncion 6, McClain 2, Pizarro 2, Yamashiro 1.

Vanden 56, St. Francis 53

SF – Nicolos 17, Keitges 8, Kelly 7, Austin 4, Felming-Mullins 6, Bagatelos 4, Pank 3, Lopez 2, Williams. V – Herrera-Souza 12, Martinez 18, Mack 10, Crawford 6, Huff 5, Bailey 3, Grady 2.

Cardinal Newman 72, St. Francis 34

CN – Cargill 1 6, Flores 15, Searey 15, Webb 12, BAcci 4, McCormick 2, Consani-Baker 2. SF – Williams 6, Gage 6, Nicolos 5, Lopez 5, Kelly 3, Keitges 3, Austin 2, Graybill 2, Fleming-Mullins 2.

Edison 60, St. Francis 52

E – Thomas 21, Williams 11, Almenderez 18, Banks 10. SF- Fleming-Mullins 15, Bagatelos 11, Pank 8, Keitges 9, Kelly 5, Austin 2, Williams 2.