LORETTO, PA- The Saint Francis women's basketball team battled back in the fourth quarter but fell 74-59 in the home opener for the Red Flash.

The loss drops Saint Francis to 0-2 while Pitt improves to 2-0, with both victories coming against Northeast Conference opponents. 

Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) led three players in double figures with 14 points while Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md./Western (Hampton U)) had a game-high 14 rebounds to lead the Flash. Kalista Walters had a game-high 26 points to lead the Panthers. 

The Red Flash were held to just 27 percent shooting (19-71) and 4-26 from three-point range. Despite the cold shooting, the Flash hung with the Panthers on Monday. 

"I loved the effort here tonight," Saint Francis head coach Joe Haigh said. "It was a tough shooting night for us. We're not going to have too many nights where Maya (Wynn) and Jess (Kovatch) go 0-13 from three, we have too good of shooters to do that."

The Red Flash hung with Pitt in the first quarter by continually getting to the line, SFU didn't score their first field goal until the 5:36 mark of the first quarter on a Halee Adams (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) lay-up, the redshirt junior finished with seven for the Flash on Monday. An 8-2 run midway through the quarter gave Pitt a nine-point lead at 15-6 and would lead 19-10 after one quarter. 

Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md./Western (Hampton U)) sparked the Flash in the second quarter, her block and lay-in on the other end cut the Panther lead to five and forced a Pitt timeout. The Flash defense forced 21 turnovers on Monday and an Adams steal led to a pair of Ward free throws got SFU within three. The Panthers answered with a 14-0 run over the next six minutes to open up a 35-18 lead. A pair of Aisha Brock (Jacksonville, Fla./Potter's House Christian Academy) free throws late ended the run and put SFU down 35-20 at the half. 

Pitt extended the lead in the third quarter, stretching the run to 29-4 over two quarters, which proved to be the difference in the ball game. Cydney Smith (Port Tobacco, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) hit the first three of the game for either team midway through the third, which sparked the Red Flash offense. Adams hit a three and fast break lay-ins by Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes) and Kovatch continued a run by the Red Flash that trimmed the Panther lead, a trend that would continue into the fourth quarter. 

A pair of Kovatch lay-ups got the Flash off to a quick start in the fourth quarter as the Flash defense held Pitt to just four points in the first four minutes of the final frame. The Flash continued the high intensity, leading to six points off turnovers in the fourth and 19 for the game. Aisha Brock (Jacksonville, Fla./Potter's House Christian Academy) heated up a bit in the fourth, hitting a pair of threes to finish with 10 points on the night. 

"We had several shots go halfway down and then pop out on us tonight," Haigh said. "Again, that's not going to happen every night. I credit Pitt for their defense, but if we get just a few of those shots to fall, especially in the first half, we're even more competitive here tonight."

In addition to the shooting, one of the big stats of the night was Pitt's 38-24 edge in the paint as Saint Francis led in most other categories, including plus-five in points off turnovers and plus-two on second-chance points. 

The Red Flash will look to get their first win of the season when they take on Coastal Carolina at home on Wednesday night. It will be Superhero night with proceeds from raffles and contests going to benefit Team IMPACT. Tip time is set for 7 P.M..