Flash Points

• The Red Flash placed four players in double figures led by Kovatch's 27
• SFU had three players top 20 points
• Harrison posted a double-double 21 points 13 rebounds
• Caitlin Carroll (Middletown, New Jersey/Red Bank Catholic) had a career-high 11 points in 11 minutes

 
EMMITSBURG, MD- Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) led a balanced offensive effort and Saint Francis held off a hard-charging Mount Saint Mary's squad in a 97-88 victory at Knott Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Kovatch led four players in double figures with 27 points four assists, and two rebounds. Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes (Manhattan)) went for 24 points five rebounds and three assists. Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) posted a double double with 21 points and 13 rebounds while freshman Caitlin Carroll (Middletown, New Jersey/Red Bank Catholic) provided a spark off the bench with a career-best 11.
 
Saint Francis used a 12-0 run midway through the first quarter to take a lead that they would never relinquish. Five-straight points from Kovatch gave SFU an 11-8 lead, Reese followed with another three as the lead would grow to 11 in the first quarter. The Flash held the Mount scoreless over seven-straight possessions, forcing three turnovers in that span.  The Mountaineers would break the streak and score the final six points of the quarter, highlighted by Kathleen Belanger-Finn's half-court three at the buzzer. SFU led 19-15 after one.
 
The Saint Francis defense put the clamps on the Mount, holding them to just two points over the first four minutes of the quarter. Carroll would hit the first of her three from long range to help build the lead back out to double digits. As was the story all game long, Mount Saint Mary's would keep hanging around. The lead held steady for much of the quarter before the Mount would close strong once again. Alexis Carter, who finished with a team-high 24 hit a late three to close the SFU lead to 43-35 at the half.
 
Threes by Reese and Kovatch jump started the SFU offense in the third as they scored the first seven points of the second half to build the lead out to 15. It would hit a high-water point of 17 midway through the quarter on a pair of Reese free throws before the Mount started to chip away again. Kovatch and Harrison had key buckets late in the quarter to keep the lead in double figures. SFU would lead 70-57 heading into the fourth.
 
Mount Saint Mary's would close the lead to nine on a pair of occasions early in the fourth, prompting Joe Haigh to call a timeout. SFU had an answer all game long to stop any momentum the Mount had building. Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) put in a lay-up, and after a defensive stop Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes (Manhattan)) got three the hard way as five straight pushed the lead back out to 14. The lead would close to as little as seven in the fourth but Saint Francis continued to answer the run. Despite 19 turnovers, the Flash did well against the Mountaineer press highlighted by a half-court lob from Kovatch to a streaking Harrison for a lay-up late in the fourth. The Red Flash iced the game from the line, going 7-9 from the line in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
 
The Mount placed four in double figures as well, led by Carter's 24 and Katrice Dickson's 16. The Mountaineers out rebounded SFU 43-35 and had a narrow 11-9 advantage on second-chance points. SFU did a lot of damage in the paint, outscoring the Mountaineers 35-28. The Red Flash also forced 26 turnovers but the Mountaineers held a 21-20 points off turnover edge.
 
The win moves SFU to 7-9 overall and 4-1 in the NEC while Mount Saint Mary's drops to 3-13 and 1-4 in the NEC. Saint Francis is back in action on Monday, heading to Pittsburgh to take on Robert Morris. Tip time is set for 2 p.m. on Monday with a Martin Luther King Jr. day matinee.