The St. Francis Spartans's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight loss. They took a 55-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of St. Laurence. That's two games in a row now that St. Francis has lost by exactly seven points.
Despite the defeat, St. Francis had strong showings from Dolly Smith, who scored 14 points along with three steals, and Natalie Doyle, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds. Doyle is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Riley Austin was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with five rebounds and four steals.
St. Francis struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
St. Francis dropped their record down to 15-13 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road. As for St. Laurence, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-9 record this season.
St. Francis will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Knights at 10:00 a.m. on February 3rd. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Illinois (IC Catholic Prep is ranked 87th, while the Spartans are ranked 102nd). As for St. Laurence, they will head out on the road to take on the Chargers at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
