Flash Points: 

• This is the first home game for the Red Flash since November 28th vs Cornell
• The Flash swept the season series from LIU last season
• Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) averaged 29.5 ppg in the two games

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LORETTO, PA- Saint Francis women's basketball returns to the friendly confines of DeGol Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. as they welcome in the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds for the SFU Northeast Conference home opener. 

ABOUT THE FLASH
The Flash come into Saturday's contest at 1-1 in the Northeast Conference after splitting their opening weekend with a win at Fairleigh Dickinson and a setback at Sacred Heart. Saint Francis led wire-to-wire against the Knights behind 27 points from Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) and 16 points and 9 rebounds from Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)). On Saturday, the Flash's second-half push fell just short in a 73-63 loss at Sacred Heart. SFU rallied in the third quarter to tie the game at 46 but could not take the lead. Sacred Heart used an 11-0 run between the third and fourth quarters to gain control of the game late. Saint Francis forced 15 turnovers against both the Knights and the Pioneers and will look to continue to get miscues from the Blackbirds. It looks to be a game decided in transition and with turnovers as LIU comes into the contest averaging nearly 19 turnovers against just 8 assists. However, the Flash will have to take care of the ball as LIU forced 25 turnovers in their loss to the Bryant Bulldogs. 

ABOUT THE BLACKBIRDS
LIU is also 1-1 on the season after defeating Mount Saint Mary's last Thursday and falling to Bryant on Saturday. They are 2-11 overall on the season. LIU was picked to finish fifth in the Northeast Conference behind pre-season All-NEC guard Shanovia Dove. Dove leads the Blackbirds at nearly 15 points per game and is the only player averaging in double figures. Dove also leads the team in rebounding at nearly six boards per game. As a team, LIU is averaging 53 points per game behind a balanced offense surrounding Dove. Five different players average between 5-10 points per game in addition to Dove's 15. The Blackbirds have not shot it well from deep, shooting just 28 percent on the season but Seneca Richards is their leading shooting, hitting 35 percent of her shots from deep and averaging just over a three per game. 

COUNTDOWN TO 1,000
Sophomore guard Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) currently sits at 922 points in her career through 44 career games. The New Jersey native had a pair of strong games against the Blackbirds, scoring 30 in a win in the Big Apple and 29 in the victory inside DeGol Arena. She currently leads the NEC in scoring at 21.2 points per game. 

BLOCK PARTY
With four more blocks against Sacred Heart, sophomore Courtney Zezza (Plum, Pa./Plum) now sits 13th in the NCAA and tops in the NEC with 35 on the season. The Plum, PA native is averaging 2.7  blocks per contest which is 17th in the nation and tops in the NEC. She is on pace for nearly 70 blocks this season, a mark that would be third in school history. 

FOLLOW ALONG
Every NEC contest is broadcasted free of charge on NEC Front Row. Saint Francis will also provide live stats for the game. You can also get live in-game updates by following us on Twitter @SFUAthletics and @RedFlashWBB. Links are available at the top of the page and on the women's basketball home page. 

LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Francis will wrap up their home weekend on Monday when they welcome in the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers to DeGol Arena. TIp time from Loretto is set for 7 p.m.