Flash Points:

• Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) recorded 11 steals, second most in school history
• SFU forced 27 turnovers on the back of 16 steals, leading to 26 points
• Kovatch had a team-high 24 points, leading four in double figures

 
NEW BRITAIN, CT- The Red Flash forced 27 turnovers and withstood a furious rally from the Central Connecticut Blue Devils, holding on for a 72-70 road victory and snapping a three-game slide.
 
Saint Francis led 71-61 with 3:31 left before Central Connecticut reeled off a 9-0 run capped by a transition three. After each team went empty on their next possession, Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) cashed in one of two free throws to give Saint Francis a two-point lead with eighteen seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Kiana Patterson had her lay-up rim out and the rebound was stolen away by Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg), preserving the victory.
 
The Red Flash started slow, with CCSU scoring 10 of the game's first 14 points. SFU used its defense and transition offense to gain momentum. The Red Flash forced nine turnovers, including seven Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) steals as the Red Flash ripped off an 8-0 run to take the lead. The teams traded baskets down the stretch and a late Kovatch jumper tied the game at 14 at the end of the first.
 
It was a back-and-forth second quarter that saw five ties and neither team led by more than three for most of the quarter. The Red Flash had an answer for every Blue Devil move as Kovtach and Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes (Manhattan)) hit threes on consecutive possessions to answer two traditional three-point plays by the Blue Devils. A Harrison three with just over a minute left gave SFU the lead for good in the half, the Red Flash got a stop on the next possession and Harrison hit on a pair of free throws to send SFU to the locker room up 39-35.
 
The Red Flash would lead by as many as six in the third quarter only to see CCSU rally back to tie the game. Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes (Manhattan)) had a strong third quarter, starting a 11-4 run with a lay-in, she had seven points in the run. A big Courtney Zezza (Plum, Pa./Plum) three late in the quarter gave SFU some breathing room only to see Patterson answer back late in the quarter. The 11-4 run broke a 44-44 tie and Saint Francis took a 56-51 lead into the fourth.
 
CCSU got no closer than three for much of the quarter as Saint Francis tried to put the game away. A step-back three from Kovatch put the Red Flash up nine at 66-56 with just over six minutes left and carried a nine-point advantage into the media timeout. Moments later, a loose-ball resulted in a tie-up and the Blue Devils' Ashley Chin took exception to the call, slamming the ball and drawing a technical foul. After Kovatch hit the free throws, she converted a three-point play, stretching the Red Flash lead to 10 with 3:31 left. That's when the Blue Devils rallied back. The Flash went 0-3 with two turnovers over the final three minutes. CCSU cashed in three lay-ups and the transition three by Sydney Hines, set up the dramatic finish.
 
The Red Flash forced 27 turnovers, backed by 16 steals including 11 by Harrison. That led to 26 points for SFU, Central forced 10 turnovers but got 18 points off the miscues. The Blue Devils also owned a big 54-32 edge on the glass, leading to a 12-4 edge on second-chance points and a 26-24 edge in the paint.
 
Kovatch led with a game-high 24 points and added four rebounds four assists and four steals. Harrison had a double-double of 16 points and 11 steals and added six boards. Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes (Manhattan)) nearly had a double-double with 19 points and a team-high eight rebounds.  Cebria Outlow led CCSU with 21 points while Chayla Lewis had 10 rebounds off the bench.
 
The win moves the Red Flash to 14-13 and 11-5 in the NEC, snapping a three-game losing streak. Central Connecticut falls to 9-18 overall and 8-8 in the NEC. Saint Francis returns home for the final weekend of the regular season. The Red Flash will celebrate senior day on Saturday when they welcome in FDU. Tip time is set for 4 p.m.