SIOUX CITY, Iowa - (Box Score) Third-seeded Saint Francis (Ind.) joined in on the upset bids in the second round of the National Championship, steamrolling past No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan, 64-42, inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, Friday evening.

The Cougars became the fourth school in five games to be seeded lower than its opponent and come out victorious on this day. The only difference for Saint Francis is it left little doubt of how this game was going to be.

Akyah Taylor set the tone early and often as the Cougars flew to a 7-0 lead to start the game. The Bulldogs could not find an offensive flow for the majority of the first half, failing to score a point until the 14:32 mark. They did manage to put together a small run to take the lead 9-7 with 12:37 remaining in the first half, but the glory was short-lived.

For the majority of the contest, Taylor was a one-woman wrecking crew, The NCAA Division I Michigan State transfer scored at will. The junior gobbled up 16 points and five rebounds in the first half, helping her team hold a 14-point advantage at the break.

The pace of play was slower in the second 20 minutes, but Saint Thomas’ stranglehold on the game never wavered. The Cougars lead continued to grow before taking the foot off the gas. Taylor finished the game with a contest-high 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Taylor’s teammate Brooke Ridley shined once again for the defending national champions, putting up 15 and seven boards.

Jenna Adams scored another double-double for the Bulldogs (11 points and 12 rebounds). A valiant effort was put forth by Tennessee Wesleyan as 10 players found their name in the scorebook despite the defeat.

The Bulldogs drop to 29-4 as their season comes to end. Saint Francis is now 25-9, and their season continues tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. The Cougars await the winner of No. 1 Morningside (Iowa) and No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan.