BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. (Jan. 2, 2011) – Senior Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) scored 18 points and grabbed a career high-tying six steals to lead the Saint Francis University women's basketball team to a, 66-54, win over the pesky St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers on Sunday afternoon at the Pope Center.
Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) and Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) also chipped in 15 points apiece and pulled down nine and eight rebounds, respectively, to give the Red Flash (6-7) a win in their Northeast Conference opener.
“At times we looked really good and at other times we made some mental mistakes and made turnovers or didn't execute,” said SFU coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl. “I think St. Francis (N.Y.) did a very good job of being physical. They played tough.”
The Flash used the first seven minutes of regulation to jump out to a 16-2 advantage thanks, in part, to solid rebounding and seven Terrier turnovers. The Saint Francis offense shot 7-for-12 during that opening stretch, including a pair of three-pointers by Daly and Leach.
A layup by the Terriers' Ashley Wilcox at the 13:21 mark, however, sparked a reversal of roles for the two teams and over the next six minutes the St. Francis (N.Y.) offense went to work.
The Red Flash converted only one field goal – a Lilley jumper – during the coinciding SFU cold spell while the Terriers pieced together an 11-to-2 run to make the score 18-14 with just under eight minutes to go in the opening period.
SFU rebounded to double its lead, 22-14, but the feisty Terriers kept coming, cutting their deficit to a single point at the 2:47 mark.
A pair of Daly threes and layups by Alexandra Williams, Allison Smith (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) and Leach, however, gave the Red Flash a late push and a, 36-25, halftime lead.
The Red & White were sluggish out of the gate in the second half allowing the Terriers to pull within four but the Flash staged a final charge that pushed their lead to 10 points with seven minutes to go in regulation.
The Red Flash led by as many as 15 points down the stretch.
Despite shooting a frigid 10-for-30 (33.3%) in the second half, the Loretto entry fired at a 38.5 percent clip on the afternoon. St. Francis (N.Y.) rode an 11-for-23 second half to a 42 percent (21-for-50) day from the field.
While turnovers were relatively even (SFU had 19 and SFC had 22), the Flash scored 27 points off of Terrier miscues. St. Francis (N.Y.) scored 17 points as a result of SFU miscues.
Saint Francis out-rebounded the SFC, 48-30, on the afternoon. Twenty SFU boards came on the offensive glass.
The Red Flash return to action on Tuesday when they visit Long Island for a 7 p.m. game.
