FLASH POINTS

• SFU survived an 18-point comeback attempt by Wagner
• Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) finished with 32, sealing the win with a pair of late free throws
• Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) iced the win with a pair of crucial rebounds late and finished with a team high eight rebounds

 
STATEN ISLAND, NY- The Red Flash survived a furious comeback from the Wagner Seahawks in a 79-76 thriller inside The Spiro Center on Monday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wagner Seahawks shot out of the fourth-quarter gate hitting 9 of their first 11 shots to erase what was an 18-point SFU lead. The Red Flash got key buckets from Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) down the stretch and two huge rebounds from Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) that helped the Red Flash survive the upstart Seahawks.
 
FIRST QUARTER RECAP

• Wagner jumped out early to a 5-2 lead, taking advantage of trips to the line
• The Red Flash answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead, a Kovatch three was sandwiched around two beautiful give and go plays
• SFU ripped off another run, an 8-0 variety that featured a Courtney Zezza (Plum, Pa./Plum) three to open up a 17-9 lead, their largest of the quarter
• Saint Francis led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter

 
SECOND QUARTER RECAP

• Wagner used their ability to get second and third looks at the basket to cut the SFU lead to two, scoring six of the first eight points of the quarter
• Kyasia Duling (Zanesville, Ohio/New Albany (Duquesne)) and Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) each scored in the paint as SFU built back a six-point advantage at 29-23
• Duling took over midway through the quarter, scoring the next six points for SFU, as the defense held Wagner to just one field goal over the final three minutes of the quarter
• Kovatch hit a difficult fadeaway late in the half to close the scoring
• SFU led 35-28 at the break
• Wagner grabbed nine offensive rebounds, leading to eight points, while both teams forced nine first-half turnovers

• A late Mount turnover sealed it as Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio/Bridgeport) picked off a pass and dribbled out the clock

 
THIRD QUARTER RECAP

• Wagner hit a three right out of the gate to cut the lead to four
• Duling kept up her perfect night with a jumper off the glass
• Kovatch then got going, going on a 5-0 personal run that jumpstarted SFU
• SFU ripped off a 10-0 run highlighted by a pair of Morrow lay-ins and a pair of Kovatch threes
• The Red Flash defense continued to put pressure on Wagner, forcing eight turnovers in the quarter, led by three Kovatch steals
• SFU lead 61-45 after three quarters

 
FOURTH QUARTER BOX SCORE

• Wagner again started quick, scoring the first seven points of the quarter
• Courtney Zezza (Plum, Pa./Plum) ended the run with a top of the key three
• Wagner kept the pressure up inside, scoring 11 of the first 14 points of the quarter and cutting the SFU lead to eight, forcing a timeout
• The Seahawks would cut it to four on a Morgan Lenihan three pointer, her second of the quarter
• A Kovatch three stopped the run and gave SFU a seven-point lead
• Wagner wouldn't go away, cutting the lead to three on an up-and-under move and tying the game on a pair of Sierra Clark buckets
• A pair of Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) drives gave SFU back the lead as would a pair of Kroll free throws
• A huge Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) offensive rebound forced the Seahawks to foul with SFU up 77-76
• A huge Morrow rebound led to a pair of Kovatch free throws put SFU up 79-76 with eight seconds remaining
• A Morgan Lenihan three was well defended and Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) got another huge rebound, and SFU survived the comeback
• Wagner out rebounded SFU 15-5 in the final quarter, fueling the comeback

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Red Flash picked up their second-straight win when hitting less than eight threes, SFU was held to 6-23 from deep on Monday
• Wagner grabbed 16 offensive boards, giving them the edge in the paint (40-35) and on second chance points, 21-12
• Sierra Clark was a beast for Wagner, finishing with 30 and 17
• SFU forced 21 turnovers, leading to 22 points, thanks in part to 10 steals, led by Kovatch's four
• Despite the impressive comeback, SFU never relinquished the lead after it took it in the first quarter at 6-5

 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Red Flash are back at home to start a three-game home stand on Saturday when they welcome in Central Connecticut. Tip time from DeGol Arena is set for 2 p.m.