LORETTO, Pa. (Feb. 16, 2009) – Junior guard Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line and added another nine points from the field while leading the Saint Francis women's basketball team to a 70-59 victory over the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The victory, that moves the team to 10-15 overall, secured the Flash a berth in the Northeast Conference Tournament for the first time since 2005.
"I thought this was a great win for our program, clinching a tournament berth," said head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl, who will head to the postseason for the first time in her career. "We're not happy with just a berth, but it's a huge step for this program."
A strong defensive effort kept the Red Flash ahead in the first half as they allowed Quinnipiac just two points in the first 10 minutes of the game. A lay up by Janie Killian (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) put the Flash up 18-5 with 7:44 remaining in the first.
Erin Kerner made a lay up to cut the lead to nine, but Whitney Robinson (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont) (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont) put up two points and Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) scored four points in the paint to increase the Red Flash's advantage to 15 points with just over three minutes left in the first half.
Kerner put up another two and Mandy Pennewell sunk a three-pointer to bring the Bobcats within ten points, but Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) scored four points in the last minute and a half to send Saint Francis into the locker room with a 30-16 lead.
Quinnipiac came out ready to do battle in the second half, and scored just 12 seconds in on a lay up by Jacinda Dunbar, who turned around and put up another soon after. A three-point shot by Kerner brought the Red Flash's lead down to nine. Daly sunk a shot from beyond the arc to increase the Flash's advantage to 12 again.
A strong Red Flash defense allowed the lead to slip down to single digits just twice in the last eight minutes of the game. Kerner sunk a three-pointer with 7:38 left to put the score at 47-38, but Robinson went to the free-throw line and came away with two to put the advantage back into double digits.
Jacki Mann put up a lay up with 6:24 left to again slash the deficit to nine points. Robinson again came the rescue, putting up two and going to the line for a three-throw shot to put the Flash ahead by 12. The Flash ran with the advantage for the rest of the game before Shawna Scott (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill?Academy) (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill Academy) sunk a free-throw shot with 29 seconds in the game to put the final score at 70-59.
"This shows was hard work and dedication can do," said Robinson Fruchtl. "It will help you reach your goals. It will pay off if you're persistent and keep at it."
Kerner led the Bobcats, who were also trying to clinch a playoff spot, with 19 points. Kathleen Neyens was close behind with 15 points and 6 rebounds.
The Bobcats shot 37.3 percent from the field and 73.3 percent from the line. They had 18 turnovers and were 4-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Hodges led the Red Flash with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. She also accounted for four of the team's seven steals. Leach, who has been strong for SFU all season, put up 15 points and six rebounds. Daly was also in the double-digits for the Flash with 12 points and eight boards. Killian led the rebounding effort with 10 boards and 8 points as Saint Francis out-rebounded the Bobcats 44-29.
The Red Flash shot 44.8 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the line. They finished the night with 15 assists. Thirty-four of their points came in the paint and 19 off of turnovers.
Saint Francis will leave on Friday for their last road trip of the season. They will stop in Maryland to take on Mount St. Mary's on Saturday before heading to Brooklyn for a 7 p.m. match up with Long Island on Monday.
