INDIANAPOLIS - The No. 23-ranked Marian University women's basketball team suffered its third straight defeat as the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) earned a vital 81-66 road win at the Physical Education Center on Wednesday night.

The Knights fell to 11-5 overall and 3-4 in the Mid-Central College Conference, while Saint Francis (Ind.) improved to 12-7 overall and 4-3 in league play.

Junior Adrienne Sahm led the Knights with her first career double-double after she scored 12 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Whitley Emerson added a team-high 16 points. Sahm also dished out a team-high five assists, while senior Emily Smithson scored nine points and handed out four assists.

Both teams played even over the first 3:43, but, with the score tied at six, the Cougars went on an 11-0 run over the next 4:01 to take a 17-6 lead. They were able to push the lead to as high as 19 at 35-16 with 5:04 remaining in the half. MU out-scored USF 12-3 run over the next 4:58 before a three-pointer with six seconds remaining in the frame sent the Cougars into the locker room with a 41-28 lead.

USF shot 46 percent (13-for-28) in the first half, while the Knights shot just 37 percent (11-for-30). USF hit five three-pointers and knocked down 10 free throws in the first 20 minutes, while MU hit three from deep and only made 3-of-4 from the line.

The second half opened with the Knights trimming the lead to nine, 43-34, with 17:23 to go, but a quick 5-0 USF spurt pushed it back to 14 with 16:45 to go. USF took a 55-43 lead with 14:14 to go before the Knights went on a 7-1 run to cut it to six at 56-50 with 10:05 to go. That was as close as the Knights would get as USF out-scored MU 25-16 over the final 10 minutes to pick up the 81-66 win.

The Knights shot 50 percent (15-for-30) from the field and knocked down four three-pointers, but USF's aggressive, attack-the-basket style put them on the line 15 times and the Cougars converted 14 of them to finish the game 24-for-26 from the charity stripe. USF turned the ball over just eight times, while the Cougars converted 15 MU turnovers into 15 points. The Knights finished with eight blocked shots, while USF finished the game with 10 steals.

MU will remain at home on Saturday when the Knights play host to Mt. Vernon Nazarene University at the Physical Education Center. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. and the game will feature live video, audio and statistics.