JOLIET, Ill. – The Adrian College men's basketball team traveled 6.5 hours southwest tonight (Nov. 29) to face the University of St. Francis (Ill.) in a non-conference showdown. The deciding factor came down to the quantity of shots, not quality, as the Bulldogs dropped to the Fighting Saints 71-65. Adrian (4-2) shot 42.2 % (27-for-64) from the floor. The 27 shots made stand second-best this season. St. Francis (5-2) countered with a 28-for-54 (51.9%) shooting performance for the slight edge.

In the first half, Adrian took its first lead of game at the 14:31 mark when junior Delano Collins found freshman Eric Lewis for a three pointer, putting Adrian up 13-10. The Bulldogs maintained in front until the 5:11 mark when the Saints' Eric Chesser scored on a layup to give St. Francis a 30-28 lead. From there, the Saints stayed ahead and went into halftime up 39-34.

Adrian kept battling in the second half but could not get over the hump as the Saints never lost the lead, besides the 45-45 lone tie at the 15:09 mark.

Adrian and St. Francis were equal in the rebound column with 35 apiece. From long range the Bulldogs were 3-for-17 (17.6%), while the Saints were 3-for-14 (21.4%). From the charity stripe, Adrian was more efficient then St. Francis shooting 66.7% (8-for-12), compared to 57.1% (12-for-21).

On offense for Adrian, the freshmen duo of Eric Lewis and Adam Meier led four in double figures with 14 points each. Juniors Brad Whitby and Sean Gallant followed with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Also pitching in was Collins with seven points and junior Cody Barnes with six.

As a team, Adrian accumulated a season-high five blocks led by Gallant with two. On the boards, Lewis had a team-high seven rebounds followed by Meier and Whitby with six.

Adrian looks to get back in the win column as it hosts The College of Wooster this Saturday (Dec. 3) at 3:00 p.m. inside of Merillat Sport and Fitness Center.