LORETTO, Pa. (Dec. 17, 2009) – For the third consecutive game, Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) was over 20 points as she led the Saint Francis women's basketball team to a 94-58 victory over the Horizon League's Youngstown State on Thursday evening at DeGol Arena.
Hodges now ranks 15th in school history in scoring with 1,081 points. She is also has 271 assists and rank's eight all-time in that category.
Though the first few minutes started as a battle, the first half ended up being all about the Red Flash. Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) and Hodges both went off on scoring streaks, as each player ended the first half in the double digits.
Less than five minutes into the first half, the score was tied at 9-9. A free-throw shot by Hodges started off a 15-6 scoring run that gave the Flash a 27-15 advantage. Junior guard Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) put up two consecutive three point shots before Hodges sunk a lay-up and a three of her own to put the score at 41-23.
Daly put up another three, her fourth of the half, to give the Red Flash a 50-30 lead with a minute and a half left in the first. Hodges sunk a three a minute later as Saint Francis took a 25 point lead into the locker room at half time. SFU showed big improvements in the first half of the game, shooting a phenomenal 57.1 percent from the field and an even more impressive 71.4 percent from beyond the arc.
The Penguins got the better of the Red Flash for the first few minutes of the second half, but it wasn't enough to cut into the deficit significantly. Hodges started the second off the same way she ended the first, by sinking a three-pointer to bring her total to 22 points on the night. Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) made two lay-ups to score her first points of the season after missing the first six games, giving the Flash a 68-42 lead.
Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) put up a lay-up with 10:44 left in the game to put the Red Flash over 70 points for the night. Allison Smith (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) put up two points soon after to give SFU a 28 point lead, which stretched to 30 with another lay-up by Hodges.
Both Shene Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) and Quinessa Johnson (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) were both sent to the free-throw line, combining for three points at the stripe with Johnson putting up two more on a lay-up as well. Gibbs and Doogan also took a point each at the charity stripe, while Fleming made a lay-up with two minutes and a half minutes left to score a career-high 11 points.
Lilley and Doogan combined for four points in the last 90 seconds of action to give the Red Flash the 94-58 win over the Penguins.
Four players finished the night in double-figures, with Hodges leading the way at 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Daly and Leach each had 16 points as well, with Fleming rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.
Fleming led the team with eight rebounds as they out-rebounded the Penguins 52-29 on the night. Johnson and Gibbs each grabbed seven boards, a career high for Gibbs.
Brandi Brown led the scoring for YSU with 16 total points, while Bojana Dimitrov (13) and Macey Nortey (12) also finishing in double-digits. Rachael Manuel grabbed 10 of the Penguins' 29 rebounds.
Saint Francis shot a season-best 52.2 percent from the field and 61.1 percent on three pointers, with Hodges going a perfect five-for-five from beyond the arc. The 36-point victory was the largest margin of victory since 2004, when the Red Flash defeated St. Francis NY 104-59 on January 10.
The Red Flash will host in-state rival Duquesne in a 7 p.m. game on Monday night at DeGol Arena. Following a short Christmas break, they will head to the Sunshine State to compete in the Hatter Classic at Stetson University in DeLand.
