FARMVILLE, VA – Saint Francis women's basketball (2-4) built a late lead and then held off a Longwood rally as the Red Flash picked up a 91-88 win over the Lancers on Saturday at Willett Hall. Jess Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) led SFU with a season-high 22 points, while Courtney Zezza (Plum, PA/Plum) recorded a season-best 18 points.

Robinson-Fruchtl's Reaction
"It was great to come down to Longwood and come out with a win," Interim Head Coach Susan Robinson-Fruchtl said. "That being said, there are a lot of things that we need to improve upon. I thought down the stretch we played some better man-to-man defense. We just need to finish things off with boxing out and getting a rebound."

First Quarter Recap

• Saint Francis grabbed a 7-6 lead following back-to-back three pointers from Sam Sabino (Rumson, N.J./Rumson Fair Haven (New Hampshire)) and Zezza
• Longwood responded with a 9-2 run to hold a 15-9 lead with just over six minutes to play
• A Haley Thomas (Hooversville, PA/Bishop McCort) layup sparked an 8-0 Red Flash run that was capped off with two Karson Swogger (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) free throws to put SFU ahead 20-19
• Zezza's layup at the buzzer gave Saint Francis a 26-24 lead at the end of the first frame

Second Quarter Recap

• A back-and-forth second period saw the game tied 31-31 following a Kovatch trifecta
• Longwood seized a 40-37 lead after a three-pointer with just over three minutes left
• Kovatch's jumper cut the Lancers' lead to 43-41
• Thomas made two free throws with five seconds to go as the teams were tied 46-46 at halftime

Third Quarter Recap

• The teams continued to trade baskets as Zezza scored nine straight points for the Red Flash to put SFU ahead 57-53
• An Aunesha Williams (Miami, FL/McEachern (Morgan State)) old fashioned three-point play gave Saint Francis a 64-59 advantage with just under four minutes to go
• Longwood fought back to narrow the margin to 66-65
• Kovatch knocked down a trey before the Lancers made four straight free throws to tie the game 69-69 at the end of the third period

Fourth Quarter Recap

• Swogger opened the scoring for the Red Flash in the fourth quarter with a triple and a layup as SFU led 74-71
• Another Swogger three-pointer pushed the Red Flash lead to 81-75 with 5:30 to play
• Longwood trimmed the deficit to 87-85 on a trey with just under three minutes remaining
• Williams converted on 1-of-2 free throws with four seconds to go and an SFU defensive stand gave the Red Flash the 91-88 win

Notes                                              

• Saint Francis won its first road game of the season
• The Red Flash shot 29-of-63 from the floor, 11-of-32 from behind the three-point arc and 22-of-32 from the free throw line
• Longwood won the battle on the boards with a 40-38 rebounding advantage
• Saint Francis scored 27 points off 19 Longwood turnovers
• Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) had three of the Red Flash's eight steals

Looking Ahead
Saint Francis returns to action when the Red Flash host Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday. Tip time from DeGol Arena is set for 7 p.m.