Loretto, Pa. - Saint Francis women's basketball (3-8) used a well-balanced team effort and held off a Morehead State (8-4) rally as the Red Flash knocked off the Eagles, 89-83, on Wednesday at DeGol Arena. Jess Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) led five SFU players in double figures with a season-high 28 points, while Haley Thomas (Hooversville, PA/Bishop McCort) had a double-double with a career-high 19 points and ten rebounds. Courtney Zezza (Plum, PA/Plum) (15 points), Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) (14 points) and Karson Swogger (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) (10 points) all finished in double-digits for the Red Flash.
Robinson Fruchtl's Reaction
"It was a great team effort tonight," Interim Head Coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said. "This was a really good win for us. We showed a lot of growth tonight from the weekend coming into this game. We followed the game plan and I thought we did as well as we have done so far this year."
First Quarter Recap
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The teams traded baskets early on as Zezza's layup tied the game 8-8 with just over seven minutes to play in the opening period
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Morehead State used a 12-5 run to grab a 20-13 lead with 3:02 to play
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Saint Francis responded with a quick 7-0 run to tie the game 20-20 on a Thomas layup
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The Eagles connected on a three-pointer at the buzzer to grab a 23-20 lead at the end of the first frame
Second Quarter Recap
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Morrow and Zezza connected on back-to-back trifectas to put the Red Flash ahead 31-27 with just under six minutes to play in the second period
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Morehead State responded with a 9-0 run to hold a 36-31 advantage
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Saint Francis answered the call again with a 9-0 run of its own to seize a 40-36 lead on an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:03 to go
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The Eagles scored the final five points of the period to take a 41-40 lead at halftime
Third Quarter Recap
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Kovatch's layup followed by a Zezza three-pointer put Saint Francis ahead 45-41 with just over eight minutes left
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Thomas' triple capped off a 16-4 run to give SFU a 56-45 lead with 2:55 to play in the third quarter
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Morehead State pulled within five on a layup with 1:27 left as the Eagles trailed 58-53
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The Red Flash held a 60-55 advantage at the end of the third frame
Fourth Quarter Recap
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A back-and-forth final period saw SFU snag a 71-65 lead on a Kovatch trey with just over six minutes to play
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Morehead State cut the Saint Francis lead to 76-72 with 3:06 remaining in the contest
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SFU was clutch from the free throw line in the final minutes as the Red Flash made 11-of-12 from the charity stripe to secure the win
Notes
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Saint Francis shot 22-of-54 from floor, including 13-of-26 from behind the three-point arc and 32-of-36 from the free throw line
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The Red Flash won the battle on the boards with a 51-46 rebounding advantage
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Morehead State scored 28 points in the paint compared to SFU's 18 points inside
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Kovatch had her third straight game with 20 or more points
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Zezza had had five of Saint Francis' seven blocks
Looking Ahead
Saint Francis has a quick turnaround as the Red Flash return to action at Pittsburgh on Friday, Dec. 21. Tipoff at the Petersen Events Center is set for 7 p.m.
