LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 15, 2011) – The Saint Francis University women's basketball team squandered a big second-half lead and overcame shoddy free throw shooting to slip past Fairleigh Dickinson, 73-70, in overtime in a key early Northeast Conference match up at DeGol Arena on Saturday.
The Red Flash (10-7; 5-0 NEC) shot at a lackluster 17-of-31 (54.8 percent) on free throw attempts but, ironically, were bailed out by their performance from the line in a frantic overtime period that featured 10 of the game's 11 lead changes.
“I thought we held our composure,” said Flash coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl.
“When you're into conference play, you just can't let up. If teams get on a roll and get a little confidence it can go a long way.”
SFU was 6-of-7 from the stripe in extra frame but none loomed larger than a pair of conversions by Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) with five seconds to play that gave her team its decisive three-point edge.
After showing flashes of dominance in the first half, the Red Flash held a commanding 34-19 lead at the intermission and led by as many as 17 in the second period.
“We've struggled, in the last three games, with protecting the lead,” said Robinson Fruchtl. “We had a tremendous first half in holding them to 19 points. Obviously, we scored a lot in transition; we got up and down the court.”
“I thought we relaxed and it's something we've definitely been talking about. “
Fairleigh Dickinson (10-6; 3-2) opened the second half with a 6-to-3 run but it was quickly offset by a 6-to-2 Red Flash run that was punctuated by a Daly three-pointer four minutes into the frame.
With 10:36 to play FDU pulled within nine, 47-38, on a Mariyah Laury layup but SFU's Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) scored the game's next three points to re-extend the Flash lead to 12.
Saint Francis led by 11 with less than three minutes to play but an 8-0 Knight run set up a dramatic conclusion to regulation.
Fairleigh Dickinson's Jasmyra Saunders missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with 17.1 seconds to play and Shené Fleming (Dayton, Ohio, Chaminade-Julienne) drew a foul on the rebound but couldn't convert on her two free throw opportunities.
FDU called for a timeout with 13.1 remaining for an opportunity to draw up a final three-point play. The initial attempt failed but a Saint Francis turnover gave FDU's Saunders a shot at redemption that fell and knotted up the score at 59-all as time expired.
Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) and Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) each reached double figures, tossing in 18 and 14 points, respectively. FDU's Laury scored a game-high 28.
Fairleigh Dickinson scored the first three points of the game but the Flash reeled off seven unanswered points to execute the only lead change of the half.
The Flash saw their lead extended to eight on a Lilley jumper at the 11 minute mark but a subsequent run by the Knights cut that advantage to three. A Sarah Thorn (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) three provided some momentary breathing room, 21-15.
SFU, however, battled back and pushed extended their lead to 12 on a Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) layup with under two minutes to go in the half. The Knights answered with a bucket, but Lilley nailed a trey a minute later, extending the Saint Francis advantage to 32-19 and forcing FDU to take a timeout.
After the stoppage, Allison Smith (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) scored the last points of the half on a jumper to send SFU to the locker room up 34-19.
In the first half alone, Saint Francis converted 15 FDU turnovers into 17 points and outrebounded the Knights by a 24-to-16 margin. SFU held a slim, 46-45, edge on the boards at the end of the night.
The Red Flash continue their season-long four-game home stand on Monday when they welcome Monmouth for a 7 p.m. contest.
