YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (Dec. 3, 2008) – Freshman Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) put up 23 points and Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) had 13 rebounds as the Saint Francis women's basketball team defeated the Youngstown State Penguins by a score of 61-54 in overtime on Wednesday in Youngstown to earn their first win of the season despite having just eight players traveling with the team.
The Flash will return to Loretto for a double-header with the men's team on December 6. Both teams will face St. Francis (NY), with the men squaring off at noon and the women taking the floor at 3:00 p.m. Saturday will also be the Red Flash's annual Alumni Day.
For one of the first times all season the Flash took off at the start, scoring the first points of the game and going into half time with a 24-19 lead. Lilley put up 10 points in the first half, and also added 5 assists. Daly had a strong defensive showing in the first half, with 5 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive to give her a total of 8.
The second half didn't start off as well for the Red Flash, as the Penguins went on a 6-0 run and tied the game 31-31. However, SFU was soon able to find the tempo they displayed in the early minutes and took a 39-32 lead with 9:20 remaining in the second half.
The Penguins would battle back, and take a 49-44 lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Saint Francis went on a 5-0 run, tying the score at 49 all and sending the game into overtime.
Overtime was all about the Red Flash, as they carried their momentum from the final seconds of regulation into overtime and scored the first 6 points in overtime. The Penguins unable to put any points on the board until Tiara Scott was sent to the free-throw line with under two minutes left to play.
The Red Flash showed how strong they can play defensively, holding the Penguins field goal percentage under 30 percent for most of the game. The Penguins finished the game shooting 29.6 percent from the field.
Lilley led the team with 23 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. She is the only Red Flash player to score in the 20s this season. Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) put up 13 points and was a rebound away from a double-double with a total of 9. Daly was also one away from a double-double, with 13 rebounds and 9 points. She also scored 7 of the 12 points in overtime.
Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) had another great outing with 11 points and 4 assists.
The Flash finished the game shooting 42.6 percent from the field, and made 80 percent of their field goals in overtime. They turned the ball over 17 times to the Penguins' 14, and outscored YSU on fast breaks 10-2.
Tiara Scott led the Penguins and had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kelsey Gurganus followed her effort with 12 points and 5 assists.
The Penguin bench was able to outscore the Red Flash bench 15-3. Due to various reasons, the SFU bench was sparse, with just 3 reserves. However, all eight players put up a mighty effort to get the win.
"They all contributed in some way, all eight of them," said head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl. It was really gutsy of them. They stuck to the game plan, and did some great rebounding in overtime. I told them that it all comes down to who wants it more."
