CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (Nov. 14, 2008) – Freshman Kelsey Caruthers (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) had a stellar debut, but the Saint Francis women's basketball team couldn't overcome fouls and turnovers as they fell to the Eagles of Boston College 99-68 in their season opener on Friday night at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The Red Flash will travel to Virginia to take on the Longwood Lancers on Nov. 17 at 7 P.M. They will return home to host Lehigh in their home opener on November 22 at 5 P.M.
Caruthers came off the bench to lead the team in points with 18 in 24 minutes of action. The freshman center also had a team-leading 8 rebounds and was 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
The game started off rocky, with both teams turning the ball over in the first 29 seconds of the game. The Eagles score first on a lay-up by Brittanny Johnson, but guard Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) shot a three-pointer to give the Flash a 3-2 lead. BC's Carolyn Swords scored 2 more on a lay-up soon after, giving the Eagles a lead they would never surrender.
The Flash were able to keep it close throughout the first half, with center Janie Killian (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) going 2-for-2 at the free throw line, and then adding 2 more on a lay-up. A three-pointer by Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) brought the score to 12-10 with the Eagles still leading and 15:19 left to play in the first period.
SFU started to get into foul trouble at the end of the first, and ended up sending the Eagles to the free throw line 26 times in the game. BC went 15-of-26 on free throws on the night.
Turnovers were also a problem, as the Red Flash turned the ball over 19 times, allowing BC to score 21 points off of those turnovers. The Eagles also outscored the Flash on fast breaks, 14-0, and in the paint 58-26.
"I thought we played well from the beginning to the end," said head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl. "Obviously early on, we dug ourselves a hole with putting them on the foul line and giving up offensive rebounds. We le them score too many points in the paint. When we attacked the basket, we got some nice stuff. We need to do it more."
BC had 4 players in double digits, with Swords leading the team with 18. She was followed by Stefanie Murphy, who was one rebound shy of a double-double. Murphy had 14 points and 9 rebounds. Corey Rusin (13) and Mikel Picco (11) were also in double digits for the Eagles.
Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) led the team in minutes with 32 and chipped in with 7 points, 4 rebounds and a steal. Freshman Quinessa Johnson (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) had 10 points and a team-leading 3 assists in her first collegiate game, while Daly, back for her sophomore season, added 11 points and 2 steals.
Killian had a great all-around game, with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal for the Red Flash.
"I thought our posts did a nice job of attacking their posts," said Robinson Fruchtl on the play of Killian and Caruthers. "They could have easily backed down since they were smaller, but they didn't."
Saint Francis finished the night with a field goal percentage of 33.8, and totaled 36 rebounds. They had a strong showing at the free-throw line, going 16-of-21 to end at 76.2 percent.
"We saw some real positives tonight, but we saw a lot of things we need to improve upon," said Robinson Fruchtl. "It's very early in the season, so we will continue to work to get better."
