BOX SCORE   |  HIGHLIGHTS: 1st Half    2nd Half

LORETTO, Pa. (Dec. 5, 2011) – Three Saint Francis players carried the load on offense Monday night, as the Red Flash surged past the Monmouth Hawks, 82-69, at DeGol Arena.  Junior Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) turned in the strongest performance of her career, pouring in a game-high 25 points, while Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) and Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) tossed in 21 and 18 points, respectively.

“I came into the game really focused and my team believed in me,” said Gibbs, who also pulled down a game-high-tying nine rebounds.  “I know I got into some foul trouble, but my team needed me.  When I came into the game, I gave it my all and it showed.”

Gibbs made her presence known early on, scoring five points and dishing out an assist in the first five minutes of play to help SFU (4-3; 2-0 NEC) avoid the slow starts that had plagued it through most of its seven games this season. 

On Monday, however, the Flash rarely let up on either end of the floor despite the fact that a 7-0 run gave Monmouth (2-6; 0-2 NEC) a game-high seven-point edge midway through the first half.  Saint Francis would chip away to go into the intermission down by one, 82-69.

The Red Flash defense was the difference in the second half.  The unit hunkered down to hold the Hawks to 34 percent (12-of-35) shooting in the period after Monmouth shot 50 percent in the opening stanza.  It also caused 12 turnovers, which were cashed in for 21 points.

For the game, SFU converted 26 turnovers into 36 points.

“Tonight, defensively, I thought we played a much better second half – we really pressured them a lot more,” said head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl.  “We knew they had shooters; they're one of the best shooting teams in the NEC.  I thought our conditioning and our depth kind of took over in the second half.”

While the defense gained traction in the second period, the offense was a model of consistency.  Saint Francis shot 43 percent from the floor in both periods, but improved its long-range assault as the game went along.

Hayward led the charge from the 3-point arc, converting on 4-of-7 attempts – including a perfect 3-for-3 in the second half.

Senior guard Sarah Thorn (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) tallied a game-high-tying eight assist in the contest.  SFU finished with 18 helpers for the second straight game.

Carly Thibault led the four Hawks in double-figures with 18 points.

Saint Francis returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Towson at 4 p.m.