FULL PREGAME RELEASE (pdf)

The Red Flash welcome Long Island to DeGol Arena on Saturday as the two teams meet for the second time this season.  It will mark the second time in 17 days that the NEC favorite Blackbirds and defending champion Saint Francis will play after SFU won Jan. 4's contest in Brooklyn, 63-60.

Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) exploded for 25 points to lead Saint Francis in the victory at the Wellness, Recreation & Athletic Center. The Red Flash led by double digits early on in the contest, but the Blackbirds scraped their way back into the game by the intermission to setup a back-and-forth second half.

Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) scored 17 points on the night, with Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) close behind with 10. Evans paced the Blackbirds with 15 points.  Freshman Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) pulled down a team -, season-high 12 rebounds.
The Flash have won four straight games vs. LIU and five of the seven meetings between the two teams under Susan Robinson Fruchtl.

SFU saw its eight-game, 11-month home winning streak come to a close with Monday's loss to Monmouth.


NEXT UP: ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE
After defeating the Terriers, 66-54, in Brooklyn on Jan. 2, Saint Francis will aim to sweep the season series on Monday.  The Terriers (2-14; 0-6 NEC) face Columbia in their non-conference finale on Wednesday.  The Red Flash hold a 35-11 stranglehold on the all-time series, including five-straight wins.  SFU has won 26 of the last 29 meetings with its Brooklyn Heights rival.


FLASH NEC'S EARLY RPI LEADER
The NCAA released its first official RPI rankings on Jan. 2 where the Red Flash debuted at 132.  However, after five straight Northeast Conference wins, Saint Francis has jumped well into the top 100.  As of Jan. 18, RealTimeRPI.com projects the SFU's RPI as 84 and its strength of schedule at 95.  The NEC's next highest RPI belongs to Robert Morris (100) which, at 9-7, has played 127th toughest schedule in the nation.


DALY REACHES 1,000-POINT MILESTONE
By scoring an even 14 points in Jan. 10, 2011's 75-62 win over Mount St. Mary's senior Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) became Saint Francis' 20th 1,000-point scorer.  After scoring only 75 points as a freshman in 2007-08, Daly averaged just over 360 points per season as a sophomore and junior.


LILLEY RANKS AMONG NATION'S LEADERS
Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park)'s 15 assists against Kent State tied for the second-most in an NCAA?Division I game so far this season.  As of Jan. 16, her 5.7 helpers per contest also ranked 20th in the country.


ROBINSON FRUCHTL CHASING 50th WIN
Saint Francis head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl earned her 40th career win with Nov. 28th's victory, 77-67, victory over Coppin State and now needs only two wins to reach 50.  Looking ahead, Robison Fruchtl needs nine wins to catch her predecessor Jill Poe (2003-07) in career wins.  Poe went 57-62 in her four seasons at the helm.


ROOKIE WILLIAMS HEATING UP
Freshman Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) has begun to emerge as one of SFU's key players.  The Red Flash rookie has averaged 10.5 points per game since exploding for 29 points against Kent State on Dec. 4.  After joining the starting lineup a game later in place of injured Shené Fleming, Williams scored 22 points at Howard and also had a strong outing at Duquesne, scoring 13.  She notched her first career double-digit rebounding night by grabbing 12 at Long
Island on Jan. 4.  With 101 boards, she is currenly SFU's no. two rebounder.


DEEP THREATS LEACH, DALY PACE POTENT OFFENSE
As of Thursday afternoon's NCAA Statistical report, the Flash can stake claim to the country's 23rd-best three-point field goal percentage.  Shooting a collective 36.8
percent (116-for-315), Saint Francis is paced from long range by the NEC's three-point leader Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity).  Daly is shooting 41.7 percent (51-for-118) from the arc.  Senior Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace), who converts at a 41.8 percent (33-for-79) clip, is close behind.


SFU'S STRUGGLES AT THE LINE CONTINUE
The Red Flash have struggled from the free throw line this season, converting on only 211 of 339 (62.2%) opportunities through 18 contests.  Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) is currently SFU's strongest option from the line with an 84.3 percentage (59-of-70) on the season.