Flash Points: 

• Saint Francis opens conference play on the road for the first time since 2013-14
• That season also marks the last time SFU won at FDU
• SFU was picked third, FDU ninth in the NEC pre-season poll

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HACKENSACK, N.J.- The Red Flash start Northeast Conference play on the road at the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday night at 5:30 inside the Rothmann Center. 

ABOUT THE FLASH
Saint Francis was picked to finish third in the Northeast Conference in the pre-season and opens NEC play on the road for the first time in three seasons. They are coming off a nine-day lay-off following their five-game road trip over winter break. The Red Flash went 1-4 on that trip and will look to break a four-game slide on Thursday night. Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) heated up on the trip, going for at least 25 points in three of the games including a career-best 37 at #19 South Florida. That earned her the Week Six Northeast Conference Player of the Week honors and upped her scoring average to 21.4 points per game, tops in the conference by over four points. Saint Francis will also look to end a two-game slide at the Rothmann Center. They dropped a heartbreaking 73-72 decision last season. 

BLOCK PARTY
Saint Francis leads the Northeast Conference and is fourth in the NCAA in blocked shots per game, averaging 7.2 per contest. The Red Flash set a school record with 13 swats against Jackson State on December 17th. Cortney Zezza and Cydney Smith (Port Tobacco, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) are 1-2 in the NEC in blocks, both averaging over two per game. 

CLOSING IN ON 1,000
With her 235 points so far this season, Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) now has 884 points in her career. She is on pace to become the fastest player in SFU history to 1,000 points. She is currently averaging 21.4 points per game, a mark that is ninth in the NCAA. 

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
FDU was picked to finish ninth in the NEC in the pre-season poll, after a sixth-place finish a year ago. They come into conference play at 2-9 on the season and will be looking to break an eight-game slide. Brianna Thomas paces the offense, averaging 14 points and six rebounds per contest. The Knights are a strong rebounding team, sitting third in the NEC with 38 rebounds per game including 15 offensive boards per game. That mark is tops in the NEC. However, the Knights are a young team, with just two seniors and a red-shirt senior on the roster, they have struggled with turnovers with over 20 in each of their last eight games. FDU has also been more aggressive from three-point range, firing away nearly 22 times per game and hitting about six per contest. Madelynn Comly and Brianna Thomas are the biggest threats from deep. 

FOLLOW ALONG
Like all Northeast Conference games, there will be free video provided by NEC Front Row. FDU will also provide live stats and you can follow @SFUAthletics on Twitter for in-game updates. All links are available at the top of the page and on the women's basketball schedule page. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The Red Flash close out the opening NEC weekend at Sacred Heart. Tip time against the Pioneers is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.