GAME NOTES - LIVE STATS - SFU AUDIO BROADCAST

LORETTO, Pa. (Dec. 4, 2012) –The Saint Francis University women's basketball team will look to bounce back against Duquesne on the road for an 11 a.m. tip-off.
 
JUST THE FACTS
Saint Francis Red Flash (4-2, 0-0 NEC) vs.
Duquesne Dukes (6-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Where: A.J. Palumbo Center – Pittsburgh, Pa. 
When: Wednesday | 11 a.m.
ALL-TIME: Duquesne leads 25-10
LAST TIME: Duquesne 74, SFU 70, Nov. 11, 2011
 
BROADCAST INFO:
Audio Broadcast – Red Radio (107.7 FM)
Web Stream - http://radio.francis.edu/
 
BROADCASTERS:
Dave Franczak and Jeff Symonds
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Saint Francis returns to the road and looks to bounce back after a loss at home against Saint Joseph's. Saint Francis opened the season with three-consecutive wins, before falling to nationally ranked Ohio State, but after an eight-day break for Thanksgiving, SFU returned to action on the road Wednesday and knocked off Mid-American Conference rival Kent State. SFU struggled shooting against the Hawks on Saturday and Saint Joseph's was able to pull away in the second half. The Flash averages 64.0-points a game entering Wednesday's action while giving up 64.3 a contest. The Dukes boast one of the top defenses in the nation entering Wednesday's action, allowing just 49.6-points a contest. Only North Carolina has managed to score more than 60-point this season against the Dukes. Duquesne also owns a win against a nationally ranked foe as the Dukes took down then-No. 17 Delaware Nov. 14.
 
Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) continues to lead the Red Flash offense averaging 19.3 points a game, while also collecting 10.2 rebounds a contest. Williams struggled in her last outing going just 2-for-17 from the field and only registering 10 points in the game. The junior forward also struggled from behind the 3-point arc for the first time all season as she entered the game 5-for-12, but missed all five of her attempts against the Hawks. Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) continues to be a big part of the SFU offensive production and the Flash are winless this season when the senior guard does not score in double-figures. Gibbs posted a season-high 18 points against Kent State, but followed it up with a season-low two points against Saint Joesph's. Hailey Carangelo (Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon Catholic) posted a solid game off the bench for SFU against Saint Joseph's with nine points, three steals, and three rebounds in just eight minutes of action. Shene Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) posted three consecutive games of double-digit points until being limited to just four against Saint Joseph's.  
 
The Duquesne Dukes have started the season 6-1 and have won its last five contests. The Dukes took down then-No. 17 Delaware, and their only loss came at North Carolina. Duquesne averages 62.4 points per game and has been shooting 36.3 percent. The Dukes boast a very balanced offense with five players averaging eight or more points a game and three players boasting better than 40-percent shooting. Jocelyn Floyd enters the game as the national leader in steals per game with 5.71 a game. Wumi Agunbiade enters the Wednesday's meeting with the Red Flash as the leading scorer for Duquesne averaging 12.0 points a game, while also posting a team leading 7.6 rebounds a game. The early morning Wednesday meeting also stands as a feature between two of the best 3-point field defenses is the country as Duquesne enters the game ranked 21st and Saint Francis ranks 17th.  
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Saint Francis U will be away from sweet Loretto for quite some time. Starting with the Duquesne game, SFU will not be back to the friendly confines of DeGol Arena until Jan. 5 when they face Bryant University. SFU will take a trip to Colgate before they make their way to Wright State for a tournament. The Flash will play Florida A&M on Dec. 19 and then play the either Western Kentucky or WSU in the second game on Dec. 21. SFU will then travel to the University of Notre Dame for a Dec. 31 game.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
SAINT JOSEPH'S 61, SFU 44
The Saint Francis University women's basketball team fell for just the second time this season, Saturday against Saint Joseph's, 61-44.
 
The Red Flash (4-2, 0-0) put together a strong first half and only trailed by two at the intermission, but the Hawks (4-2, 0-0) opened the second half on a strong run and SFU could not recover. Chatilla Van Grinsven posted a huge game for Saint Joseph's with 18 points and 21 rebounds to lead all players. The Red Flash got 11 points from Kelley Doogan (Claymont, Del./Ursuline Academy) and 10 points and nine rebounds from Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle), but it was not enough to dodge the first SFU home loss of the season. The Flash were limited to just 20.7-percent (6-for-29) in the second half and just 25.4-percent (15-for-59) for the game.   
 
The Red Flash opened up the second half with a pair of baskets, but Saint Joseph's scored the next 15 points to push the lead to 41-28. Excellent shooting powered the run for the Hawks as they connected on eight of their first 16 shots to start the second half. Saint Francis never recovered from the big run by the Hawks and Flash were limited to just six field goals and 20.7-percent (6-for-29) shooting in the second half. 
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW
.657 – The Red Flash are shooting 65-of-99 from the free throw line this season good to for a 65.7-percent clip.
 
1 – Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) was limited to just rebound against Kent State a career low.
 
3 – Duquesne ranks third in the nation in steals per game averaging 15.0 a game.
 
4 – The Red Flash are undefeated this season with four wins when senior Nikkia Gibbs scores 10 or more points, but the Flash hold a record of 0-2 when guard has nine or fewer. 
 
6 – Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) has missed her last six consecutive 3-point attempts after making 5-of-8 prior to the cold spell.
 
13 – Duquesne ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense allowing just 49.6 points a game.
 
20.5 – Saint Francis enters the game 11th in the Northeast Conference in turnovers per game, giving the ball away 20.5 times a game.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Francis continues its month long road trip as it travels to Colgate Dec. 8 for a 4 p.m. tip-off against the Raiders.