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Saint Francis hits the road for a two-game Connecticut swing, beginning with a Saturday afternoon matchup at Sacred Heart.  The 1 p.m. contest marks the 19th all-time meeting between the Red Flash and Pioneers, with the latter taking 10 of those. 

The Flash have struggled against Sacred Heart since Susan Robinson Fruchtl took over prior to this 2007-08 campaign, compiling a 1-4 mark.  Last season's 75-69 SFU win snapped a four-game skid vs. the Pioneers.

Tied for first place in the Northeast Conference with Robert Morris and Quinnipiac, the Red Flash are looking to win their fifth consecutive road contest and remain perfect as a visitor against league competition.

Saturday's match up will mark Saint Francis' first visit to the Pitt Center since the 2009 Northeast Conference Championship game.  The Pioneers won that meeting, 74-66.

SHU is currently tied with Monmouth for fourth place in the NEC and, at 5-3, is two games off of the pace.


NEXT UP: QUINNIPIAC
Saint Francis wraps up its two-game Connecticut swing with a Monday evening matchup at Quinnipiac.  The 7 p.m. contest marks the 23rd all-time meeting between the Red Flash and Bobcats.  The Red Flash have won 15 meetings, including the last two.  Due to the NEC's unbalanced schedule, this will be the second-straight season during which SFU and SHU will meet only once.


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 7-1 start to Northeast Conference play, Saint Francis has jumped well into the top 100.  As of Jan. 28, RealTimeRPI.com projects the SFU's RPI as 90 and its strength of schedule at 118.  The NEC's next highest RPI belongs to Monmouth (109) which, at 13-6, has played 196th 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. 23, her 5.6 helpers per contest also ranked 25th in the country. 


ROBINSON FRUCHTL NOTCHES 50th WIN
Saint Francis head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl earned her 50th career win with Jan. 24th's victory, 72-60, victory over St. Francis (N.Y.).  Looking ahead, Robinson Fruchtl needs seven 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 10.3 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-double (11 pts/10 reb) vs. St. Francis (N.Y.) on Jan. 24.  With 119 boards, she is currenly SFU's no. two rebounder.


DEEP THREATS LEACH, DALY PACE POTENT PERIMETER OFFENSE
As of Sunday afternoon's NCAA Statistical report, the Flash can stake claim to the country's 28th-best three-point field goal percentage.  Shooting a collective 36.1 percent (125-for-346), Saint Francis is paced from long range by the NEC's three-point leader Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity).  Daly is shooting 42.7 percent (53-for-124) from the arc.  Senior Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace), who converts at a 41.4 percent (36-for-87) 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 235 of 376 (62.5%) opportunities through 20 contests.  Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) is currently SFU's strongest option from the line with an 84.9 percentage (62-of-73) on the season.


RED FLASH RAMPING UP HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Red Flash need one more win on the floor of DeGol Arena to clinch a winning record at home for the third consecutive season. Saint Francis has compiled 8-5 records in Loretto in 2009-10 and 2008-09. SFU is 26-21 at home under Susan Robinson Fruchtl and is 21-11 at DeGol Arena over the past three seasons.