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The Red Flash will knock out the first half of their season-long eight-game road trip as they close out the 2010 side of the slate with a visit to Syracuse on Tuesday.  Saint Francis will be making its first-ever trip to the Carrier Dome as the Red Flash and Orange meet for the first time.

Syracuse enters the game with a 9-1 record, having dispatched Clemson 77-58 on Wednesday in the second round of the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout.  Earlier in the week, the Orange absorbed their first loss of the season – a 77-43 setback to No. 2 Baylor.

Saint Francis represents the second of three NEC schools that Syracuse will face this season.  On Nov. 22, the Orange defeated preseason NEC-favorite Long Island, 90-36 at the Carrier Dome.  Syracuse will welcome Bryant on Thursday.

The Orange are 8-0 at home so far this season.

The Red Flash enter their non-conference finale looking to shake a two-game losing streak.  SFU is 1-1 against the Big East this season, but have struggled to a 1-6 record on the road.


Next up: ST. FRANCIS?COLLEGE
Saint Francis opens its 2010-11 Northeast Conference schedule with a Jan. 2 trip to Brooklyn and a date with the St. Francis Terriers.  The Terriers have struggled to a 1-8 record thus far this season, including a 72-36 home loss to Robert Morris on Dec. 2.  The Red Flash hold a 35-11 stranglehold on the all-time series, including four-straight wins.  SFU has won 25 of the last 28 meetings with its New York rival.


Lilley ranks among national leaders
Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park)'s 15 assists against Kent State tied for the most in an NCAA?DI game so far this season.  Her 6.4 helpers per contest also ranks fifth in the country.


Robinson Fruchtl notches 40th win
Saint Francis head coach Susan Robison Fruchtl earned her 40th career win with Nov. 28th's victory, 77-67, victory over Coppin State.  Looking ahead, Robison Fruchtl needs 14 wins to pass her predecessor Jill Poe (2003-07) in career wins.  Poe went 57-62 in her four seasons at the helm.


WILLIAMS?EARNS?SECOND ROOKIE-OF-THE-WEEK AWARD
For the second time in three weeks, freshman Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) has been named the Northeast Conference Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week.  Williams becomes SFU's first two-time Rookie of the Week since Beth Swink earned three nods during the 2001-02 campaign.

Williams poured in 22 points as the Red Flash ended a 12-day hiatus by posting a 67-55 road win over Howard.  The freshman from Altoona went 10-for-16 shooting from the field in what was her first career start. Williams also pulled down four rebounds and made a steal against the Bison. 

In the starting lineup again at No. 7 West Virginia, Williams tallied seven points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals.  She averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per contest during the two-game swing through the nation's capital and West Virginia.


ROOKIE?WILLIAMS?HEATING?UP
Over the past four games, freshman Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) has begun to emerge as one of Saint Francis' key players.  The Red Flash rookie has averaged 17.8 points per game since
exploding for 29 points against Kent State on Dec. 4.  After joining the starting lineup a game later, Williams scored 22 points at Howard and has not scored in single digits since.


Leach fills 'closer' role
Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) enters today's contest as the NEC's leading scorer, averaging 17.0 points per contest.  The majority of her work, however, comes in the second period when she averages 10 points and shoots 13-for-25 (52.0%) from long range.  Leach is SFU's third-leading scorer in the first half, averaging seven points and shooting only 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.  On average, Leach scores 5.1 points in the final 10
minutes of a game.


Daly gunning for 1,000
Senior Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) is a strong candidate to become Saint Francis' 20th 1,000-point scorer.  The 5-11 guard enters today's game with 936 career points.  After scoring only 75 points as a freshman in 2007-08, Daly averaged just over 360 points per season as a sophomore and junior.