LORETTO, Pa. (Feb. 11, 2008) – Saint Francis equaled visiting Long Island blow-for-blow in the second half of Monday night's game at DeGol Arena, but were ultimately done-in by a lackluster opening period in a, 61-47, Northeast Conference loss.

The Red Flash women (6-17; 3-9 Northeast) trailed the Blackbirds by 14 at the intermission, but rebounded to play a solid second half which saw each team score 27 points.

“In the first half we dug ourselves way too deep of a hole,” said Flash head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl. “Again, our problem was shooting. We had nine turnovers, we out-rebounded them, we had 18 offensive boards… but that shooting, you know, our layups were fading, jumpers [weren't falling]. I think we rushed shots tonight.”

“We were open, but I thought we were rushing them.”

Saint Francis shot a paltry 32.1 percent from the floor in sharp contrast to LIU's 45.8 percent shooting night. The Red Flash, however, held a 38-35 advantage on the boards and even kept the vaunted Blackbird transition game in check, allowing only two fast break points.

“LIU is a good defensive team,” Robinson Fruchtl remarked of the squad that held the Flash to just 29.6 percent shooting in the first half. “We didn't give them fast break points. Every tape we've watched they get a lot of them because they're so quick.”

The Blackbirds were paced by Valerie Nainima who scored a game-high 16 points. Sophomore Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal Academy) led the Flash with 14, followed by senior Emily Bollinger (Westminster, Md./Westminster) (Westminster, Md./Westminster) with 13.

Junior Shawna Scott (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill?Academy) (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill Academy), who entered the game ranked second in the league in assists, dished out six to raise her season total to 99.

Despite their current four-game skid, Saint Francis is still only a game out of the NEC's final playoff berth thanks, by and large, to a concurrent four-game tailspin by eighth-place Monmouth.

“We have to try and keep them physically and mentally fresh as much as possible and keep them motivated,” Robinson Fruchtl stressed as a key to making a move toward a post-season appearance. “And, I think they are [motivated] because we came out in the second half and played way better.”

Saint Francis returns to action on Saturday when they visit Sacred Heart for the first game of a two-game road swing.