LIVE STATS - LIVE VIDEO - GAME NOTES

LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 4, 2013) – The Saint Francis University women's basketball team opens Northeast Conference play Saturday against Bryant at 1 p.m. in DeGol Arena.
 
JUST THE FACTS
Saint Francis Red Flash (5-6, 0-0 NEC) vs.
Bryant Bulldogs (4-6, 0-0 NEC)
Where: DeGol Arena – Loretto, Pa.
When: Saturday | 1 p.m.
ALL-TIME: Saint Francis leads 3-2
LAST TIME: SFU 85, Bryant 73 – Feb. 18, 2012
 
BROADCAST INFO:
Video Web Stream – NEC Front Row
BROADCASTERS:
Joe Vesnesky and Bernie Jubeck
 
MAKING THE DEBUT PART TWO
First-year head coach Joe Haigh will make his Northeast Conference debut Saturday. Overall SFU coaches have a record of 3-2 in their first Northeast Conference game. Susan Robinson Fruchtl lost her first NEC game falling at Robert Morris but Jill Poe won her first NEC contest at RMU. Home conference openers have been good to SFU coaches with only Deb Polca failing to win her first NEC contest in DeGol Arena (4-1).
 
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, 23 points behind matching Cheril Meier for 18th. Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) continue her climb up the all-time scoring list as well and now sits just 10 points away from becoming the first SFU junior to reach 1,000-career points since Lilley did it in the 2010-11 season. Williams also continues to move up the all-time rebounding chart and sits nine rebounds away from matching Allison Daly for 13th.
 
BESTED BY THE BENCH
The Red Flash have received some good performances from their bench so far this season and SFU enters the game with Bryant averaging 15.3-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 shut out of Howard's bench in the season opener. However, thrice this season SFU has allowed an opponents' bench to score more than 40. Against Wright State the SFU bench scored 22 points just one short of a season high and against No. 5 Notre Dame SFU racked up 19 points from its reserves.  
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Saint Francis opens Northeast Conference play against Bryant Saturday. SFU begins its trek to add to its NEC best 11-conference title under first-year head coach Joe Haigh. Last season, the Red Flash and the Bulldogs split a pair of meetings with each team protecting home court. In the meeting last season in Loretto, SFU bested Bryant 85-73 (Feb. 18) behind a 16 point, 13 rebound performance from Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle). The Flash also got 16 points from Sarah Thorn (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) and 11 from Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) and Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt). Kaitlyn Hinck led the Bulldogs and all scorers with 18 in the game. All-time the Red Flash lead the series between the two NEC rivals with a record of 3-2. SFU enters the meeting with Bryant after a rough month of December that saw the Flash win just once in six tries. The Flash closed non-conference action Monday falling to No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. 128-55. Bryant starts NEC play with a record of 4-6 after dropping their last two games. The Bulldogs fell to Holy Cross (Dec. 21) in their non-conference home finale by just two (68-66) before ending out-of-league action with a loss to Army, Sunday.   
 
Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) continues to lead the Red Flash in both scoring and rebounding as the junior enters Saturday averaging 17.5 points a game and 10.1 rebounds. Williams, the reigning NEC Player of the Week, earned all-tournament honors at the Wright State Invitational with a pair of double-doubles before being limited to nine points and five rebounds against No. 5 Notre Dame. Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) ranks second on the team in scoring averaging 10.7 a game. Saint Joseph's limited Gibbs to two points but since the senior has scored nine or more in each of the last five games. Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) continues to improve and in her last two games the sophomore has averaged 18 points. Hayward also continues to heat up from 3-point range and has made nine in her last two games including three against No. 5 Notre Dame. Shene Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) ranks second on the team in rebounds averaging 5.7 a game and has tallied five or more rebounds in seven games this season.     
 
Bryant finished up non-conference play with a record of 4-6 with wins at Brown and against Columbia, Iona College and Maine. The Flash and the Bulldog have had just one common opponent this season as Bryant fell at Akron (78-56) while SFU bested the Zips in Loretto (74-73). Courtney Schissler leads the Bulldogs in scoring averaging 12.4 a game while also pulling in 7.1 rebounds a contest. Naan Ankoma-Mensa leads the Bulldogs in rebounding averaging 10.6 a contest and sits second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.9 a game. Katie Whittington has four starts, but has come off the bench in the six other games and stands as the top 3-point threat for Bryant with 15 makes on the season and a 35.7 3-point percentage on the season.   
 
ROOKIE HEATING UP
After starting the season slowly, Brooklyn Taylor (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) posted a pair of solid showings at the Wright State Invitational. Taylor headed into the Wright State Invitational without a made 3-pointer but the rookie connected on four 3-pointers in the tournament.
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW
0 – The Red Flash have never lost to the Bulldogs in DeGol Arena.
 
6 – Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) has six double-doubles this season while also posting six 20-points games this season.
 
9 – Williams needs just five rebounds to tie all Allison Daly for 13th all-time at SFU in rebounds.
 
10 – Williams is just 10-points away from becoming the 22nd 1,000-point scorer in Saint Francis women's basketball history.  
 
12 – The Red Flash are seeking their 12th Northeast Conference title in the 2012-13 season.
 
35 – Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) needs 35 assists to tie Kristin Cirigliano for seven on the SFU all-time list.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Francis returns to action Monday with a home contest against Central Connecticut State in DeGol Arena at 7 p.m.