FLASH POINTS

• Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) had 36 points on 9 threes
• The Red Flash ripped down 54 rebounds, including 29 offensive rebounds
• Kyasia Duling (Zanesville, Ohio/New Albany (Duquesne)) had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds
• Saint Francis forced 27 turnovers, leading to 38 points

LORETTO, PA- On a night that Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) was named a Lieberman Award candidate, the junior went for 36 points on nine threes and added three steals as Saint Francis improved to 8-1 in the NEC in a 87-69 victory over Bryant on Monday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Red Flash went toe-to-toe with one of the best rebounding teams in the conference and ripped down 54 rebounds including 29 on the offensive glass. SFU had a 25-17 advantage on second-chance points and scored 38 points off 27 Bryant turnovers.

FIRST QUARTER RECAP

• The teams traded early baskets with a Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) three giving SFU an early three-point lead only to see Bryant go on a 6-0 run to take the lead
• SFU was held scoreless for a four-minute stretch as Bryant built a five-point lead, their largest of the game
• Back-to-back threes by Kovatch erased the lead as SFU took the lead for good
• Harrison and Kovatch each ran out lay-ups to extend the SFU lead to six at the first-quarter buzzer
• The Red Flash led 24-18 after the first quarter

SECOND QUARTER RECAP

• The SFU lead hung between five and seven points for the majority of the second quarter as the teams traded baskets
• Bryant would cut the lead to four twice only to see Kovatch extend the lead out to seven with a three both times
• A Kroll three with under a minute to go extended the SFU lead to eight
• The Red Flash dominated the offensive glass in the second quarter, ripping down 11 offensive boards, leading to 10 second-chance points
• SFU would take a 40-32 lead into the locker room

THIRD QUARTER RECAP

• The Red Flash jumped out on a 9-2 run to start the quarter to lead 49-37
• Lay-ups by Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric), Duling and Haley Thomas (Hooversville, PA/Bishop McCort) led to a Swogger three and forced a Bryant timeout
• The lead grew to 15 before Bryant went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to five
• The Red Flash answered back with lay-ups by Duling and Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio/Bridgeport) pushed the lead back out to nine to end the quarter
• SFU led 60-51 heading into the fourth

FOURTH QUARTER RECAP

• Saint Francis steadily built back the lead to start the fourth quarter as a three by Kovatch and a trio of Courtney Zezza (Plum, Pa./Plum) lay-ups bumped the lead to 15
• A Duling lay-up capped a 14-4 run that ran back to the third quarter as the SFU lead hit 17 at 72-55
• A four-point play by Kovatch helped the lead grow to 18
• Bryant whittled the lead back down to 11 but Kovatch hit threes on back-to-back possessions and added a third to put the game on ice
• Kovatch hit five of her nine threes in the fourth and scored 16 of her 36

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• SFU won the rebounding battle 54-50 as Bryant came in out rebounding NEC teams by 11 boards per game
• Five players had at least two steals for SFU who totaled 15 on Monday
• Saint Francis turned 27 Bryant turnovers into 38 points
• Kyasia Duling (Zanesville, Ohio/New Albany (Duquesne)) had a 13-point 12-rebound double-double while Bryant's Sydney Holloway had 18 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out
• Kovatch's nine made threes are tied for second in SFU history, behind her own record but her 9-15 shooting is her best shooting night of her career
• The Bulldogs put four players in double figures led by Holloway's 18
• Saint Francis swatted away nine shots led by Duling's three

LOOKING AHEAD
The Red Flash stay at home and welcome in 9-0 Robert Morris for a Saturday tilt. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and can be seen on NEC Front Row and ESPN 3.