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LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 11, 2013) – The Saint Francis University women's basketball team opens road Northeast Conference action Saturday against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at the Rothman Center at 4:30 p.m.
 
JUST THE FACTS
Saint Francis Red Flash (7-6, 2-0 NEC) vs.
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (7-6, 2-0 NEC)
Where: Rothman Center – Teaneck, NJ  
When: Saturday | 4:30 p.m.
ALL-TIME: Saint Francis leads 20-7
LAST TIME: SFU 60, FDU 58 – Jan. 21, 2012
 
BROADCAST INFO:
Video Web Stream – NEC Front Row
Audio Web Broadcast – RedZoneMedia.com
Broadcasters: Dave Franczak and Jeff Symonds
 
SPARKS FLY
Freshman Rebecca Sparks (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) saw limited action during the non-conference schedule, but the rookie guard stepped up in the first weekend of conference action. Sparks did not score against Bryant, but did post three steals, two assists and a rebound in 12 minutes of action. Against CCSU, Sparks went two-for-three from the field and posted her third assist of the weekend.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Saint Francis opens road Northeast Conference action Saturday as the Flash head to Teaneck, NJ for a meeting with the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. The Flash and the Knights were two of four teams to open NEC play last weekend with a pair of wins. The Red Flash posted wins against Bryant and Central Connecticut, while the Knights picked up road wins at Wagner and Mount St. Mary's. Erika Livermore led the way for the Knights averaging 24.0- points a game, while also pulling down 17.5 rebounds en route to Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week honors. Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) led the way on opening weekend for SFU averaging 25-points a game and 12-rebounds a contest. The Flash swept the season series last year and SFU has won seven of the last nine games between the two schools. The Knights, who were picked 10th in the NEC Preseason coaches Poll, have played just two home games all season and picked up a win against New Jersey Tech, but fell to Army. The Red Flash have struggled on the road this season and enter Saturday's meeting with the Knights with a record of 3-4 on the road.     
 
Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) leads the Red Flash in scoring and rebounding averaging 18.6 points and 10.3 rebounds a contest. Williams ranks second in the Northeast Conference in scoring and fourth in rebounding. Shene Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) has continued her impressive play this season as she picked up a career-high 14 rebounds against CCSU. Fleming ranks second in the NEC in field goal percentage at just over 50 percent. Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) has come on strong as of late, she has scored in double-figures four out of the last five games. Gibbs is second on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per contest. Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) continues to shoot well from beyond the arc, she has knocked down at least one trey in each of the last six contests despite seeing limited action due to a nagging injury.
 
Danielle Pankey leads Fairleigh Dickinson in scoring with 15.9 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NEC. Pankey is also the second leading rebounder for FDU with 5.7 per game. Erika Livermore is averaging a double-double on the year with 14.3 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game. Stephanie Isaacs has knocked down 16 3-pointers so far this year and remains the Knights deadliest threat from beyond the arc.
 
WELCOME TO THE TRACK MEET
Of the 345 teams in division I women's basketball only six run at a faster pace then the Red Flash. When Joe Haigh took over the women's basketball program, one thing he talked about was “playing fast” and generating lots of possessions. Over the first 12 games of his career this has been reflected as the Flash currently rank eighth nationally in possessions per 40 minutes. The Flash average nearly 80 possessions a game, a mark which ranks higher than every NCAA Division I men's program in the country.
 
FOR THE RECORD
Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) moved past Beth Barnabei on the Saint Francis all-time scoring list in the Wright State game and now sits alone in 19th-place, 11 points behind matching Cheril Meier for 18th. Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) continues her climb up the all-time scoring list and became the 22nd member of SFU's 1,000-point club against Bryant. Williams also moved into 20th on the all-time scoring list against CCSU. The junior forward needs just 12 points to tie fellow teammate Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) for 19th all-time. Williams also continues to move up the all-time rebounding chart and became the 12th player in SFU history to record 600-career rebounds against CCSU. Williams needs 69 more rebounds to tie Sally O'Donnell for 11th all-time.
 
BESTED BY THE BENCH
The Red Flash has receieved some good performances from its bench so far this season and SFU enters the game with FDU averaging 15.1-points a game in bench scoring. The Flash have been feast or famine in defending opponents' benches. Three times this season, SFU has limited its opponents' benches to fewer than 10 points including a shutout of Howard's bench in the season opener. However, thrice this season SFU has allowed an opponents' bench to score more than 40. Against No. 5 Notre Dame SFU racked up 19 points from its reserves and in SFU's season opener the Flash bench tallied 17 points led by 11 from Brooklyn Taylor (Greenville, Pa./Greenville).  After allow more than 40 points to both Wright State's and Notre Dame's bench the Flash have held their last two opponents' benches under 20 points.   
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW
.269 - SFU leads the NEC in 3-point field goal defense by only allowing only 63 of 234.
 
2- The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights have played just two home games this season.
 
6 – Saint Francis has a 6-1 record when leading at halftime.
 
14 - Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) is ranked 14th in the nation in steals per game with 3.53 per contest.
 
14 (bonus) - Shene Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in a winning effort against CCSU.
 
32 - Saint Francis owns a 32-19 all-time record against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Francis travels to Monmouth for an early Noon tip-off as they continue NEC play on Jan. 14.