FLASH POINTS

• Three players scored in double figures for the Red Flash led by Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg)'s 19
• Kyasia Duling (Zanesville, Ohio/New Albany (Duquesne)) led the team with nine rebounds, but six players had at least five boards
• The Red Flash dished out 19 assists on 29 baskets
• SFU outscored YSU 41-23 in the second and third quarters to pull away

LORETTO, PA- Three players scored in double figures and a balanced effort across the board helped the Red Flash snap a three-game losing streak with a 79-65 triumph over Youngstown State on Saturday in the final home game of the 2017 calendar year for women's basketball. 

"I liked the intensity and the energy that we brought to both sides of the ball today," head coach Joe Haigh said. " We knew that it was going to take a 40-minute effort and we gave that today, I was really pleased with the decisions we made in our help defense and especially in our transition offense."

Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) scored 19 points on the day, moving her into 10th place all time on the Saint Francis scoring list with 1,486 points, passing Carlin Chesick (1999-03) who had 1,477 points in her career. Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) finished the day with 13 points and Maya Wynn (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh) drained four three pointers to finish with 12. Defensively, it was another balanced effort as Kyasia Duling grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Red Flash but six players grabbed at lead five rebounds as SFU won the rebounding battle 50-47 but was plus-7 (16-9) in second chance points. 

"We have made a concerted effort to rebound better," Haigh said. "And that comes from a mentality, Kyasia (Duling), Leah (Morrow), Ace (Harrison), certainly help, but we have done a better job attacking the glass and being physical that we have been in the past several years."

FIRST QUARTER RECAP

• The Red Flash established their inside presence early, with Kovatch and Harrison driving to score the first two buckets of the game
• A Zezza three helped give SFU their largest first quarter lead at 11-4
• A pair of threes from Nikki Arbanas helped YSU chip away at the lead, bringing it down to one on a pair of occasions
• SFU missed their last three shots of the quarter and a free throw in the final seconds of the quarter, tied the game for the Penguins
• SFU and YSU were tied at 18 at the end of the first

SECOND QUARTER RECAP

• YSU took their first lead of the game on a Natalie Myers three but Kovatch answered with one of her own
• A Penguin lay-up at the six minute mark gave YSU a 25-23 lead, it would be their largest and last lead of the game
• A pair of Kyasia Duling jumpers put SFU back up four, Duling added six points to go with her nine rebounds
• Kovatch hit a trio of free throws to help SFU build their lead and a late Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) steal and score capped an 8-2 run to close the half
• SFU would lead 37-30 at the half

THIRD QUARTER RECAP

• The Penguins would cut the lead to four at the start of the quarter on a pair of layups
• SFU answered with threes from Wynn and Kovatch to open up a 10-point advantage
• YSU would not get closer than 10 in the quarter as Karson Swogger (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) hit a three to put the Red Flash up 13
• The Red Flash would close the quarter on a 9-1 run, capped by jumpers from Harrison and Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio/Bridgeport)
• The lead would grow to 59-41 at the end of the third

FOURTH QUARTER RECAP

• The Penguins would not go away, cutting the lead back down to 12 on a Alison Smolinski three, she led YSU with 19 points
• Threes by Wynn and another by Cydney Smith (Port Tobacco, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) proved timely and kept the SFU lead in double figures
• A 7-0 Penguin run followed to bring the lead to nine at 72-63, prompting a YSU timeout
• A 5-0 SFU run answered with a Kovatch three and a Harrison fast-break lay-up to put the game out of reach

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• SFU established their inside game, winning the battle in the paint 30-18
• The Red Flash turned 17 turnovers into 17 points while YSU turned 15 Red Flash miscues into 13 points
• Saint Francis blocked another five shots as Harrison and Courtney Zezza (Plum, Pa./Plum) each had two

 
The win snaps the three-game losing streak for the Red Flash and moves them to 4-5 on the season. YSU dropped their fifth-straight game and sits at 2-7 on the year. The Red Flash take the next week off for finals and are back in action on the west coast. SFU caps off the non-con with a three-game trip out west that starts with the Gonzaga Bulldogs next Sunday afternoon. Tip time from Spokane is set for 2 p.m. PT and 5 p.m. ET.