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

• 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

• Morehead State used a 12-5 run to grab a 20-13 lead with 3:02 to play

• Saint Francis responded with a quick 7-0 run to tie the game 20-20 on a Thomas layup

• 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

• 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

• Morehead State responded with a 9-0 run to hold a 36-31 advantage

• 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

• The Eagles scored the final five points of the period to take a 41-40 lead at halftime

Third Quarter Recap

• Kovatch's layup followed by a Zezza three-pointer put Saint Francis ahead 45-41 with just over eight minutes left

• Thomas' triple capped off a 16-4 run to give SFU a 56-45 lead with 2:55 to play in the third quarter

• Morehead State pulled within five on a layup with 1:27 left as the Eagles trailed 58-53

• The Red Flash held a 60-55 advantage at the end of the third frame

Fourth Quarter Recap

• A back-and-forth final period saw SFU snag a 71-65 lead on a Kovatch trey with just over six minutes to play

• Morehead State cut the Saint Francis lead to 76-72 with 3:06 remaining in the contest

• 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

• 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

• The Red Flash won the battle on the boards with a 51-46 rebounding advantage

• Morehead State scored 28 points in the paint compared to SFU's 18 points inside

• Kovatch had her third straight game with 20 or more points

• 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.