WATCH (ESPN U) | LIVE STATS | SFU NOTES | RMU NOTES |  @RedFlashWBB


LORETTO, PA- For the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Saint Francis Red Flash will host the Northeast Conference Championship game as they will face the second-seeded Robert Morris Colonials on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. on ESPN U.

The Red Flash earned the right to host and the number-one seed in the NEC tournament by virtue of a RPI tiebreak. The two schools both finished at 16-2 in conference and split against each other. With the other tiebreaks exhausted, the Red Flash earned the one seed by having a better RPI. Heading into the title game SFU sits at 109 and RMU at 134. 

WHAT'S AT STAKE
For the Red Flash, it would be their 12th NEC title in program history and first since that 2010-11 season. For Robert Morris, it would be their eighth title and third-straight Northeast Conference crown. Since both teams tied for the regular season title, the loser of the game will receive the conference's bid into the post-season WNIT. 

SERIES HISTORY
The two Western Pennsylvania schools have a deep history, with this being the 85th meeting all-time between the schools. Robert Morris holds a slight 43-41 advantage but Saint Francis is 26-15 against Robert Morris all-time inside DeGol Arena including a 68-47 victory earlier this season. This season, the teams split in the regular season, with Robert Morris winning 63-62 at home on a buzzer-beater by Megan Smith.  The two teams have met twice previously in the NEC title game with Robert Morris winning the 2014 crown in Pittsburgh and Saint Francis claiming the 2005 title in Loretto. It will be the 11th meeting all-time in the NEC tournament, with Saint Francis winning six of the previous 10 meetings. 


ABOUT THE RED FLASH
Saint Francis comes into the title game after run-away wins over Fairleigh Dickinson (89-70) and Sacred Heart (78-47). NEC Player of the Year Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) has kicked it up yet another notch, averaging 37 points per game in the tournament and hitting 17 threes in the two games. The junior has done most of her damage in the first half, averaging 27.5 points in the opening 20 minutes. It hasn't been all Kovatch as Defensive Player of the Year Ace Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor (Maryland)) has impacted both games in a number of ways. She's averaged 6.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block in the tournament, including a double-double against Sacred Heart (11-11). Rookie of the Year Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio/Bridgeport) has turned in an average of 10 points 3.5 assists and 3 rebounds a game while senior Maya Wynn (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh) has turned in a pair of double-digit scoring efforts including her first career double-double against Sacred Heart. The Red Flash defense has also turned it up in the playoffs, averaging 19 forced turnovers and 26.5 points off those miscues. Against Robert Morris this year, the Red Flash forced 33 turnovers in the loss and 22 turnovers in the win. The biggest difference was the Red Flash scored 24 points off the miscues in the win and just 15 points off of them in the loss. 

ABOUT ROBERT MORRIS
The Colonials come into Sunday after wins over Central Connecticut, 60-54 and LIU Brooklyn 74-44. If the Red Flash's style is the unstoppable force, then Robert Morris is the immovable object. The Colonials sport one of the best defenses in the NCAA, holding teams to an average of just 54 points per night. RMU also allows just .79 points per possession, a mark that is 11th in the NCAA.  Robert Morris also has incredible balance offensively, with four players averaging at least nine points per game. Honoka Ikematsu and Megan Callanhan can light it up from three, each shooting better than 40 percent from three and averaging over two triples per night. Robert Morris' defense is also an opportunistic one. The Red Flash have turned it over 20 times (leading to 19 points in the loss) and 19 times (leading to 12 points in the win). In the NEC tourney, the Colonials have forced 22.5 turnovers a night and turned them an average of 29 points. 

FOLLOW ALONG
Tomorrow's game will air on ESPN U with Cara Capuano and Amanda Butler on the call. The game is also available with the Watch ESPN app with the proper cable login. There will be live stats available and you can get in-game highlights and updates by following us on Twitter @RedFlashWBB. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The winner of the game gets the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament and will find out their next game on Selection Monday. The loser of the game will earn the NEC's bid into the WNIT and will also find out their next game on Monday night after the NCAA field is released.