Down by 11 points midway through the second half, IU South Bend (15-6/3-2 CCAC) clawed back to just a three point deficit, but after a St. Francis (IL) miss, the Saints were able to corral the loose rebound and find Jacqui Storm open for a triple from the left baseline that put the lead to six, at 63-57, and out of reach. Katie Hacker (Indianapolis, IN/Franklin Central HS) scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Titans, but struggled after the break, connecting on just one of her five field goal attempts.

Miscues were the story from the beginning for IU South Bend, as they committed seven in the opening ten minutes of the first half, allowing St. Francis to squeeze out a 14-8 lead midway through. From there, the Titans took better care of the ball and converted several layups late in the shot clock to pull back even several times, though they were never able to seize the lead in the opening half and trailed by one at the break.

Out of the half, neither team was successful on its first four possessions, and the Titans struck first on a Betsy Grogan (Battle Ground, IN/West Lafayette Harrison HS) conventional three-point play to give IU South Bend their first lead of the contest at 32-30. From there, a nip-and-tuck second half saw neither team pull out more than a four point edge until the Saints began to pull away, eventually holding a 56-45 lead.

It was then that the Titans came on strong, getting a basket from Hacker and several free throws each from Becca Hoefler (Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso HS) and Courtney Simpson (Nappanee, IN/NorthWood HS) to pull within three at 60-57. It was then - with just three minutes remaining - that the Saints converted their second chance triple to push the lead to an insurmountable level, and converted three throws down the stretch for their final margin of 68-60.

For the contest, IU South Bend committed 24 miscues, compared to just 19 for St. Francis.

Grogan finished the game with 12 points, while Simpson and Whitney Cole (North Judson, IN/North Judson HS) each added nine - Cole's all coming from behind the three-point line.

Hacker's 17 points brings her career total to 1,050, which moves her past Stephanie Campbell for 10th all-time at IU South Bend.

IU South Bend returns to action on Tuesday, February 2 when they will host the Tigers of Olivet Nazarene on what will be Pink Zone night. Both teams will be wearing pink as part of their uniforms and pre-game attire for the contest, and all proceeds generated through ticket sales or donations will be given to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Tip off is set for 6:00 PM, as the Titan men will follow with their contest against ONU at 8:00.