CINCINNATI, Ohio (Dec. 30, 2008) – Sophomore guard Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) set a new career high with 23 points, but her effort alone wasn't enough as the Saint Francis women's basketball team fell to the Bearcats of Cincinnati 75-65 on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena.
With 11:48 remaining left in the game, Daly had already smashed her pervious high of 16 points and finished the night with 23 points and one rebound shy of a double-double with 9. Scoring all but 5 of her total in the second half, she 5-of-8 on three-point shots and shot more than 50 percent from the field.
Cincinnati scored first on a three-pointer from Kahla Roudebush, but Saint Francis quickly struck back on a jumper by Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace). Though the Bearcats never surrendered their initial lead, the Red Flash were never far behind.
The Bearcats were 3-0 against the Red Flash prior to Tuesday's contest, and had won by an average of 31 points per game so it was a surprise to many when Cincinnati entered halftime with a slim 29-22 lead.
The second half was the game's most exciting by far. Daly made 3 three-point shots in the first three minutes of the half, shrinking the Bearcats' lead to just 3. She also made 4 out of 5 free-throw attempts and another three-pointer midway through the half, shortening what had become a 10 point deficit to just 5.
It was Kelsey Caruthers (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) who was the stud at the free-throw line, going a perfect 6-of-6 on the evening.
Shortly after Caruthers sixth free-throw attempt, Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) was sent to the line and went 2-for-2 to put the score at 60-59 with 4:52 left to play in the game.
Unfortunately, the Roudebush would make 4 trips to the line in the last 50 seconds of action to seal the deal at 75-65.
Roudebush, who was the leading scorer for the Bearcats with 28 points, made 6 three-point shots and was 8-of-16 from the field. Michelle Jones and Jill Stephens were also in double-digits for Cincinnati with 14 and 12 points respectively. The Bearcats shot 41.7 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Following behind Daly was Hodges, who finished the night with 14 points and 5 assists. Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) had 6 steals and Janie Killian (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) had the team's 2 blocks on the night.
The Red Flash had 15 steals, accounting for most of the Bearcats 19 turnovers. However, SFU turned the ball over 16 times unforced, and had it stolen twice. They shot 32.3 percent from the field and 94.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Saint Francis will travel to Moon Township on Saturday for a Northeast Conference match up against defending conference champ Robert Morris in a 4 p.m. contest. The game will be the first half of a double-header, with the Red Flash men taking on the Colonials at 7:00 p.m. The Red Flash women, who fall to 3-8 this season, will then travel to Charlottesville to play the Virginia Cavaliers on January 5th at 7:00 p.m.
