CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Jan. 5, 2009) – The Saint Francis women's basketball team led for most of the first half and entered the locker room at half time with the score tied 35-35, but couldn't hang on and fell to the No. 15 Virginia Cavaliers 82-66 on Monday evening at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

The Red Flash, who completed their non-conference schedule in Charlottesville, will travel to Connecticut for Northeast Conference match ups with Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart next weekend. The team will take on the Bobcats of Quinnipiac at noon at Saturday in Hamden, Conn., and will remain in the area to play the Sacred Heart Pioneers at 7 p.m. in Fairfield on Monday.

SFU felt right at home in the 15,000-seat John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers' Kelly Hartig scored first on a jumper, but the first half was all about the visiting Red Flash. Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) tied the score at 2-2 on a jumper of her own, and UVA again took the lead on a free-throw by Lyndra Littles, only to lose the advantage once again with a bucket by Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace).

The lead climbed to 3 points when Daly hit a three-point field goal, and increased to 4 seconds later with a jumper by Janie Killian (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills). The Cavaliers came back to tie the game at 9-9 with 15:30 left to play in the first half.

Freshman Sarah Thorn (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) put the Flash ahead on a three-point soon after. Thorn set a new career high with 9 points in the game.

Saint Francis found themselves up 21-16 with 8:36 left in the first half, and then down by 1 point 4 minutes later. Both Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) and Quinessa Johnson (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) sunk three-pointers to give the Flash a 6-point lead with 2:14 remaining. The Cavaliers stormed back on free-throw shots and tie the game 35-35 heading into the locker room at halftime.

If the first half was all about the Red Flash, the Cavaliers dominated the second half, starting it off with a 12-2 run and taking a 47-37 lead that they would never surrender.

Part of that problem was fouls, as the Flash sent Jayna Hartig to the free-throw line 8 times in the game – 4 times each half. The Cavaliers made 21 trips to the line, coming away with 18 points. The Flash themselves were 5-of-9 on free-throws.

Turnovers, that have plagued the team all season, were another problem, as the Flash gave up the ball a total of 29 times, with only 11 of the turnovers being forced by Virginia. UVA finished with 16 turnovers.

National Player of the Year Candidate Monica Wright led Virginia in scoring with 22 points. Teammate Aisha Mohammed finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and getting 12 boards.

Hodges led the Flash in scoring with 13 points, followed by Lilley with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Johnson rounded out the players in double-digits with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Thorn also had a career-high in assists with 7. Freshman Najah Prescott (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty) (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty) scored the first points of her collegiate career on a lay up with 16 seconds left in the game, and also finished 3 rebounds and a block.

The Flash fall to 3-10 with the loss. They finished the night shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 37.9 percent on three-point field goals.