Loretto, Pa. - Saint Francis women's basketball (2-5) was unable to overcome a barrage of Florida Gulf Coast three-pointers as the Red Flash fell to the Eagles, 83-69, on Wednesday at DeGol Arena. SFU put together a spirited second half rally, cutting an 18 point deficit to five before FGCU pulled away behind 18 three-pointers. Jess Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) led SFU with 21 points, while Karson Swogger (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) added 12 points.
Robinson-Fruchtl's Reaction
"We gave up some layups and transition threes," Interim Head Coach Susan Robinson-Fruchtl said. "They got a lot of offensive rebounds during their second half run and we finally worked our way out of it and got back on the boards and got a little tougher. We are still learning and I'm confident we will continue to get better week by week if we continue working hard."
First Quarter Recap
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Saint Francis knocked down three straight trifectas as the Red Flash gained an early 9-8 lead
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FGCU led 15-9 before a quick 8-0 SFU run that was capped off with a Kovatch trey put the Red Flash ahead 17-15
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The Eagles held a 21-17 advantage at the end of the first frame
Second Quarter Recap
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The teams continued to trade baskets as AJ Timbers (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann Gorretti (Towson)) made a layup to cut FGCU's lead to 27-25 with just under six minutes to play in the second period
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FGCU used a 14-5 run that included four three-pointers to seize a 41-30 advantage
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The Red Flash scored the final five points of the quarter to narrow the margin to 41-35 at halftime
Third Quarter Recap
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Both teams struggled from the field to start the period as FGCU scored only five points over the first four minutes while holding SFU scoreless
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The lead for the Eagles grew to 18 before the Red Flash scored its first points of the second half with 2:30 remaining as Swogger knocked down a short range jumper to trim the deficit to 53-37
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Haley Thomas (Hooversville, PA/Bishop McCort) converted on an old-fashioned three-point play in the closing seconds, but FGCU responded with two free throws as the Eagles led 59-48 at the end of the third frame
Fourth Quarter Recap
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The Red Flash continued to chip away at the lead as a Kovatch three-pointer capped a 12-5 SFU run to cut the margin to 67-62 with 6:16 to go
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FGCU then closed the door on the Red Flash with a barrage of three-pointers that gave the Eagles its largest lead of the game at 83-64
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Kovatch scored the final five points of the contest on a layup and a triple as she tallied her fourth straight game with 20 or more points
Notes
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Saint Francis shot 25-of-68 from the floor, 12-of-18 from behind the three-point arc and 7-of-12 from the free throw line
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The Red Flash won the battle on the boards for the first time this season with a 52-43 rebounding advantage
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SFU scored 22 points in the paint compared to FGCU's 20 points on the interior
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Courtney Zezza (Plum, PA/Plum) was one point away from her first double-double of the season with nine points and ten rebounds
Up Next
Saint Francis has a quick turnaround as the Red Flash travel to play on Saturday at Youngstown State. Tip time at the Beeghly Center is set for 4:45 p.m.
