FULL PREGAME RELEASE (pdf)

Saint Francis opens its final homestand of the 2010-11 season on Saturday when it welcomes Wagner to DeGol Arena.  The game will also serve as Senior Day for the Red Flash, with captains Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) and Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) being honored in a pregame ceremony.

Susan Robinson Fruchtl's squad enters the season's final weekend in an unusual situation: On the heels of back-to-back Northeast Conference losses.  Last week's New Jersey swing marked the first time all season the Red Flash dropped consecutive league games.

Despite the setbacks, Saint Francis remains in the driver's seat to clinch home-court advantage in the upcoming NEC Tournament although their margin for error has been reduced to zero.  Three teams are tied a game behind the Flash in the standings, with two of them – Monmouth and Sacred Heart – holding a head-to-head tie-breaker.

Saint Francis holds a sizeable 35-20 advantage in the all-time series, including 16 of the last 18, but have swept the season series from the Seahawks only once over the past three years.  The Red Flash defeated the Seahawks, 65-63, at the Spiro Center on Jan. 8.


NEXT UP: MOUNT ST. MARY'S
The Red Flash wrap-up the regular season they host Mount St. Mary's on Monday for a 7 p.m. contest. The Mount is one of only three NEC schools against which Saint Francis trails in the all-time series: MSM holds a 26-25 edge in meetings which date back to the 1988 season. SFU, however, has won the last four meetings against the Mountaineers, who enter Saturday's action with a 3-11 (5-8) record.


RED FLASH NEC'S RPI LEADER
The NCAA released its first official RPI rankings on Jan. 2 where the Red Flash debuted at 132.  However, after rolling to an 12-4 record in Northeast Conference play, Saint Francis is currently ranked 87th.  The NEC's next highest RPI belongs to Sacred Heart (128).


FIRST ROUND?PLAYOFF?DATE,?TIME?ANNOUNCED
The Red Flash will host a first round game of the 2011 NEC Championship tournament on March 5 at DeGol Arena.  Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.  The opponent in the game is pending the completion of the regular season.


Leach named to Capital One Academic All-District® Team
Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) has been named to 2010-11 Capital One Academic All-District II® Women's Basketball First Team.  Leach will now advance to the national Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot. An elementary/special education major, Leach has compiled a 3.55 GPA during her academic career. A student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 to be eligible for nomination to the All-District ballot. CoSIDA's District II is comprised of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.


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 Feb. 20, her 5.2 helpers per contest also ranked 32nd in the country and leads the Northeast Conference.


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 two 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 SHOWING 'FLASHES OF?GREATNESS'
Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) per coach Robinson Fruchtl has shown 'flashes of greatness' on several occasions throughout the year.  The freshman has averaged 10.6 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.  She has two double-doubles this season with the most recent coming vs. RMU on Feb. 12 (18 pts/10 reb).  With 171 boards, she is currenly SFU's no. two rebounder.


SFU'S STRUGGLES AT THE LINE CONTINUE
The Red Flash have struggled from the free throw line this season, converting on only 339 of 537 (63.1%) opportunities through 28 contests.  Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) is currently SFU's strongest option from the line, converting 91 of 105 attempts (86.7 percent) on the season.  Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity) has also made the most of limited trips to the line, firing at a 90.5 percent (19-for-21) clip.


LEACH MOVES INTO SEVENTH SPOT ON SFU SCORING LIST
With 1,515 career points, Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) currently ranks seventh on the SFU all-time scoring list and became the school's seventh 1,500-point scorer by tossing in 25 points at Fairleigh Dickinson (2/19/11).  The 5-10 guard also became the 19th Red Flash player to break the 1,000-point barrier with her first bucket of 2010 NEC title game at Long Island.