FULL PREGAME RELEASE (pdf)

Saint Francis improved to 15-9 on Monday and – with a 10-2 record in NEC play – remains tied with Robert Morris atop the league standings, setting up a pair of key clashes between the two teams beginning on Saturday.

As a part of the NEC's 'Rivalry Week' the Red Flash will meet Robert Morris twice over a three-day span. The Flash play host to the Colonials (13-9; 10-2 NEC) on Saturday at 6 p.m. before making the trip to the Sewall Center for a 7 p.m. contest on Monday.

The home-and-home series will go a long way in determining home-court advantage during the upcoming postseason with both teams tied atop the league standings.

RMU owns a 34-32 edge in the all-time series and has won 10 of the last 12 regular season meetings dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.  During that stretch, SFU is a perfect 3-0 vs. the Colonials in the postseason.

Saturday's bout will also serves as Saint Francis' fourth annual WBCA PinkZone Day.  The event is designed to raise awareness – and funds – for breast cancer research.  Women's Basketball Alumni Day will take place on Saturday as well.

The game will be televised nationally on Fox College Sports and regionally on FSN-Pittsburgh.


NEXT UP: ROBERT MORRIS
As a part of the NEC's 'Rivalry Week' the Red Flash will meet Robert Morris for a second time in three days on Monday when Saint Francis visits the Sewall Center for a 7 p.m. contest.  The game will go a long way in determining home-court advantage during the upcoming postseason, as both teams entered Saturday's contest tied atop the league standings.


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.


NEC?semifinal rematch to be televised
Saint Francis will host Robert Morris in a televised rematch of last season's thrilling Northeast Conference semifinal game on Saturday, Feb. 12.  The day will be a busy one for the Red Flash, who will also host their annual PinkZone and Alumni Day.


DALY REACHES 1,000-POINT MILESTONE
By scoring an even 14 points in Jan. 10'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 Feb. 6, her 5.4 helpers per contest also ranked 30th 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 four wins to catch her predecessor Jill Poe (2003-07) in career wins.  Poe went 57-62 in her four seasons at the helm.


FRESHMAN WILLIAMS HEATING UP
Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) 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 145 boards, she is currenly SFU's no. two rebounder.


DEEP THREATS LEACH, DALY PACE POTENT PERIMETER OFFENSE
As of Sunday's NCAA Statistical report, the Flash can stake claim to the country's 34th-best three-point field goal percentage.  Shooting a collective 35.0 percent (148-for-423), Saint Francis is paced from long range by the NEC's three-point leader Allison Daly (Harrisburg, Pa./Trinity).  Daly is shooting 40.3 percent (60-for-149) from the arc.  Senior Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace), who converts at a 41.2 percent (42-for-102) 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 293 of 470 (62.3%) opportunities through 23 contests.  Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, Ohio/Miami Trace) is currently SFU's strongest option from the line, converting 75 of 88 attempts (85.2 percent) on the season.  Saint Francis' best FT shooter, however, may be Rhonda Watts (Alabaster, Ala./Thompson) who shot 94 percent from the foul line in high school.  Watts is sitting out the 2010-11 campaign after transferring from VCU.