LORETTO, PA- The Saint Francis' women's basketball team opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run and closed out the Wagner Seahawks 93-78 in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at DeGol Arena.

The Red Flash out scored Wagner 28-15 in the fourth quarter to break open a back-and-forth game. Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) led the Red Flash and broke her own freshman scoring record with 35 points, leading three players in double figures. Jasmine Nwajei led all scorers with 42 in a losing effort.

"Nwajei is a great scorer and someone who is always going to have the ball in her hands," coach Joe Haigh said after the game. "We did a good job of forcing her to give up the ball in the fourth, I liked the pace we had going in that fourth and that led to some strong defense."

The Seahawks started the game quickly, getting out to a 9-2 lead, forcing a SFU timeout. The Flash responded behind Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes), she had five of the Flash's first 10 and closed an 8-0 run with a three to give the Flash their first lead at 10-9 midway through the quarter. The junior finished with 16 points and three assists on the day. Maya Wynn (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh) got hot in the final minutes of the first quarter, a pair of threes from the sophomore sparked another run, this of the 7-0 variety to stake SFU to a 21-15 lead. They would lead 27-22 after the first quarter.

The Flash would lead for most of the second quarter before a Wagner 7-0 run gave the Seahawks what turned out to be their final lead of the contest at 41-40. Kovatch poured in four-straight points to spark the Flash towards the end of the half and Rochelle Reece (Ajax, Ontario, Canada/Pickering) hit a pair of timely free throws to give SFU a 47-45 halftime lead. Kovatch had 17 of her 35 in the first half.

SFU got out of the gate quickly in the third, scoring the first six points of the quarter to force a Wagner timeout. Wynn had four of her 12 points in the run. Wagner would get within one midway through the third on a step-back three from Nwajei. The junior then followed with a driving lay-in to tie the game at 61. Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md./Western (Hampton U)) had just four points on the evening but her baseline jumper gave the Flash a late third quarter lead, and senior Aisha Brock (Jacksonville, Fla./Potter's House Christian Academy) beat the buzzer with a scoop shot in the paint to give SFU a 65-63 lead after three. Ward also grabbed nine rebound while Brock dished out three assists to go with her four points.

Saint Francis used that late basket in the third to spring the fourth quarter run and never looked back. Kovatch got red-hot in the fourth, hitting on three-straight shots to start the quarter and scoring 18 of her 35 in the final frame.

"Jess is at her best off the ball," Haigh said. "We got her going early in the fourth and she got some confidence. When she gets hot and gets confident, there isn't a shot that she can't hit."

The Red Flash grabbed a 10-point lead after the run and the Seahawks could get no closer. The Red Flash defense forced Nwajei and the Seahawks into some tough shots and SFU closed the game out from the line. Saint Francis was a solid 17-24 (71 percent) from the charity stripe. The Flash defense forced 17 turnovers on Saturday, turning them into an impressive 27 points.

Rochelle Reece (Ajax, Ontario, Canada/Pickering) led a strong effort from the SFU bench with eight points, three rebounds and two assists. The SFU bench out scored Wagner's 22-15. Wagner out rebounded Saint Francis 52-46 but the Flash held a 19-15 edge on second-chance points. Sofia Roma led the Seahawks with a game-high 17 rebounds while Halee Adams (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) led the Flash with 10.

The win improves the Flash to 3-9 on the season and more importantly, 1-0 in Northeast Conference play. The Red Flash will look to sweep the opening weekend on Monday when they host Sacred Heart. Tip time is set for around 7:30 p.m. following the men's game at 5 p.m..