DELAND, Fla. (Dec. 27, 2009) – Britney Hodges (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) (Dayton, Ohio/Mount de Chantal) tied her season-high of 28 points, but she was the only member of the Saint Francis women's basketball team to score in double-figures as the Red Flash slipped by the Stetson Hatters 63-61 in a rubber match at the Hatter Classic in DeLand, Fla., on Monday afternoon.
The two teams tied the game up 10 times, with 21 lead changes. However, it was the Red Flash who took leads going into half time and at the end.
Saint Francis, as well as Stetson, started off slow in the first half as neither team scored a field goal until Stetson's Tierra Brown sunk a jumper a two and a half minutes into the game. A free-throw by Kerri Simpson put the Hatters up 3-0 before a three by Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) tied the score at 3-3. Less than a minute later, Daly netted another three to give SFU a 6-3 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
The advantage went back and forth throughout the whole half, has Jessica Conner's jumper gave the Hatters their second lead of the night. Shene Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne) and Stetson's Daphne Frieson each scored to take the lead back for their respective teams. A jumper from Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) put the Red Flash up by two with at 13-11 with five minutes left in the first half. Stetson's Simpson went to the free-throw line and gave the Hatters an 18-15 lead four minutes later. However, Quinessa Johnson (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West)'s (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) jumper with 17 seconds left gave the Flash a one point advantage at halftime, with the score set at 21-20.
Stetson scored the first points of a second half with a jumper from Brown to take back the lead. Johnson then knocked another jumper, gaining the advantage before it was taken back by Simpson who put up two. Hodges sunk a three to give tie the game at 26-26 with 16:20 left to play. Simpson put up a layup and a free-throw to take back the lead, and Brown sunk another from the charity stripe to give Stetson a four-point lead.
Hodges cut into the lead with a layup and two free-throws, but it was Daly who tied it up with yet another three from the corner. Friesen broke the tie for the Hatters, and two consecutive threes from Hodges out the Red Flash up by four with 12:42 left in the second half.
Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) made two at the line to continue on SFU's scoring streak, but the Red Flash's six point lead was cut down to four soon after. Natasha Graboski tied the game up 42-all with 9:41 remaining before Leach took back the lead for Saint Francis a minute later. Stetson's Brown knocked down another three to take a one-point lead, but Fleming erased the deficit less than a minute later with a fantastic offensive rebound/lay-up combo.
The Hatters again took a slim lead before Hodges again put the Flash ahead. A layup from Brttany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) increased the lead to three, and another two from Hodges put the score at 52-47 with just under six to go.
Stetson was able to tie the game up a minute later, but Hodges again put Saint Francis ahead. Simpson tied the score up 54-all before giving the Hatters a one-point lead on a free-throw. Hodges sunk a jumper to again take a narrow lead that was soon erased as Brown sunk two free-throws for Stetson. Lilley put SFU ahead, but Simpson put up two more at the line to take another slight advantage.
Lilley got two of her own at the line and then added a jumper to make it a 62-59 lead in favor of Saint Francis. Brown brought the Hatters within reach, but couldn't put up a three to tie the game up. Leach drew a foul and was sent to the line, coming away with a point to give the Red Flash the 63-61 win.
Hodges came within one point of tying her career-high of 29 points, finishing the night 10-of-15 from the field and 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. She also led the team in boards with seven and assists with four. Daly finished the night with eight points, as did Lilley. Fleming and Johnson each grabbed six boards, and it was none other than Hodges that grabbed five steals.
After shooting a dismal 27.6 percent in the first half, the Red Flash improved to 55.2 in the second to finish the night at 41.4 overall. They shot 50 percent on threes, making 7-of-14. They also forced 21 turnovers, eight of which were steals. Janie Killian (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) put up two blocks.
Brown led the Hatters with 21 points, while Simpson finished the night with 17. The two teams split the boards at 34 apiece.
SFU will return to the Edmunds center to take on the Patriot League's American University at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
