JOLIET, Ill. – Despite a valiant effort, Indiana Northwest came up just short in a hard-fought 74-73 loss to St. Francis (IL) in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) matchup Saturday afternoon at the Pat Sullivan Center.

The RedHawks (15-5, 9-3 CCAC) held a 16-point lead midway through the first half, but a dominant second-half surge by the Saints (17-2, 11-1 CCAC) proved decisive. St. Francis outscored Indiana Northwest 48-34 in the second half, with senior forward Aitor Anabitarte leading the way. Anabitarte delivered a game-high 37 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including an incredible 18-of-18 performance at the free-throw line, and added five rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes.

Indiana Northwest was led by Dannie Smith, who poured in 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Trace Williams added 14 points, including two 3-pointers, while Anthony Taylor contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. Caleb Jenkins chipped in 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, and Demarius Splunge rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points and six rebounds.

The RedHawks started strong, shooting 50% from the field in the first half and draining seven 3-pointers to build a 39-26 halftime advantage. Smith and Jenkins combined for 19 points in the opening period, helping Indiana Northwest control the tempo.

However, the Saints came alive in the second half, fueled by their dominance at the free-throw line, where they shot 19-of-19 after the break and 26-of-28 overall. Anabitarte scored 25 of his 37 points in the second half, including several clutch baskets during the final minutes.

St. Francis took its first lead of the second half with 3:22 remaining, and the game saw four lead changes in the closing minutes. Despite a late push by Indiana Northwest, the Saints held on by securing critical rebounds and forcing a missed shot in the final seconds.

The Saints shot just 38.6% from the field but made up for it with a 92.9% showing from the free-throw line and a 20-5 advantage in bench points. Indiana Northwest shot an efficient 48% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc but was undone by St. Francis' second-half free-throw dominance.

Indiana Northwest will look to bounce back on Wednesday, January 29, when they return home to face Holy Cross College at 7 p.m. CT in the Savannah Center.

Recap by PJ Katona

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