LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 3, 2015) – For the first time in almost exactly five seasons, the Saint Francis University women's basketball team fell to Wagner, 76-60, in each team's Northeast Conference opener.

One would have to date back to Jan. 4, 2010 to find the last time the Red Flash (1-11, 0-1) was bested by the Seahawks (3-9, 1-0). Wagner has now won its past three contests, while SFU has dropped its past three.

"We struggled offensively today and we didn't get up as many shots as we wanted to," said SFU head coach Joe Haigh, who was 3-0 against Wagner entering today's contest.

Saint Francis shot just 25.4% (17-67) for the game and only 9.5% (2-21) from three-point land. However, the Red Flash had no trouble getting to the free throw line in the game as they attempted a season-high 32 free throws.

Shaqeia Stokes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) had her best game in a Red Flash uniform as the senior collected nine points and set career-highs in rebounds (10), blocks (6), and steals (4).

"I was very happy with how we got to the free throw line today and Shaq [Stokes] did an incredible job inside for us, especially with her rebounding and defensive presence," Haigh continued.

It was Stokes who scored the first basket of the game for SFU and the Flash quickly held a 14-7 lead seven minutes into the game. Wagner battled back and took its first lead of the contest nearly midway through the period. The lead changed three more times in the frame, but the Seahawks held the 33-30 advantage at halftime.

Similar to the first half, Stokes scored again for SFU to start off the second half with the assist going to Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) again. After that, Wagner quickly extended its lead to 12 after a 13-4 run to start the period.

Wagner continued to lead by double-figures until an 11-2 run from Saint Francis occurred late, which put the deficit to just seven. A three-pointer from Wagner's Lyndsay Rowe proved to be a dagger against Saint Francis as the Flash did not recover. Wagner outscored Saint Francis by a margin of 43-30 in the second half of play.

In a match-up with the Northeast Conference's top two scorers, Hayward finished with 14 points, while the Seahawks Jasmine Nwajei added 17 points, seven assists, and six steals.

Aisha Brock (Jacksonville, Fla./Potter's House Christian Academy) posted 12 points for SFU, while Cydney Smith (Port Tobacco, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) and Hope Phillips (Marlton, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) pulled down nine and six rebounds, respectively.

Saint Francis welcomes Robert Morris on Monday evening for a 5 p.m. tip-off to be followed by the men's tip at 7 p.m.