Chicago, Ill. - The Roosevelt women's basketball team fell short in its quest for a third straight win on Monday afternoon as St. Francis (Ind.) used 54 percent shooting in the second half to pull away for an 85-72 victory over the Lakers in the opening round of the 2010 Saint Xavier Holiday Tournament.

With the loss, Roosevelt (8-5) drops into the consolation bracket and will face Aquinas College tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at the Shannon Center. The Lady Cougars (11-4), meanwhile, advance to meet St. Francis (Ill.) at 5:00 p.m. in the tournament semifinals.

Junior Peggie Parhas continued her strong offensive play for Roosevelt, scoring a team-high 18 points. She is now averaging 24.0 ppg in her last three outings. Freshman Erin McCaslin also scored in double figures with 14 points.

Freshman Kiara Towles paced the Lakers on the boards with 12 rebounds while freshman Maria Tamburrino fell just short of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Kayla Mullins led four St. Francis players in double figures with a game-high 23 points. Julie Seiss posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

It was the Lakers that came out red hot on Monday, jumping out to a 15-3 lead five minutes into the contest behind eight points from Parhas. The Lady Cougars clawed their way back in the game, eventually taking the lead at the four-minute mark and owning a 39-38 advantage at intermission.

Roosevelt and St. Francis (Ind.) were deadlocked at 49-49 with 14:59 remaining when the Lady Cougars took control with a 9-0 run. St. Francis would convert 54 percent of its shots in the final period to keep the Lakers at bay, not allowing Roosevelt to get closer than four points the rest of the way.