Loretto, Pa. - Saint Francis women's basketball (5-9, 2-0 NEC) built an early lead and held off a late Mount St. Mary's (6-7, 0-2 NEC) rally as the Red Flash picked up a 68-66 win over the Mountaineers on Monday evening at DeGol Arena. Jess Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) led all scorers with 23 points, while Leah Morrow (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric) (12 points) and Haley Thomas (Hooversville, PA/Bishop McCort) (10 points) also scored in double figures.

Robinson Fruchtl's Reaction

"Our outcome goal this weekend was to come out 2-0 in our first two conference games," Interim Head Coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said. "No matter how you get there. You have to grit it out. Playing in the NEC and any conference games brings a whole new level of intensity and a whole new level of scouting and understanding of player personnel from both sides."

First Quarter Recap

• Saint Francis jumped out to an early 11-7 lead following a Kovatch three-pointer with 4:12 to play in the opening period

• Thomas' trifecta put SFU ahead 16-9 with 1:13 remaining

• The Red Flash led 16-11 at the end of the first frame

Second Quarter Recap

• SFU had a 22-13 lead following 1-of-2 Morrow free throws with 8:21 left in the second period

• Mount St. Mary's cut the lead to 24-21 with 5:54 to play

• Saint Francis converted on 7-of-8 from the free throw line over a three minute stretch as the Red Flash held a 31-21 advantage with 1:31 to go

• The Mountaineers responded with a 7-0 run of its own to cut SFU's lead to 31-28 at halftime

Third Quarter Recap

• The Red Flash gained a 36-30 lead on a Kovatch layup with 7:59 to play in the third frame

• Morrow's three-pointer put Saint Francis ahead 42-35 with 5:36 left

• Mount St. Mary's had its first lead since early in the first quarter at 47-44 with 3:22 to go

• Sam Sabino's (Rumson, N.J./Rumson Fair Haven (New Hampshire)) layup put the Red Flash back in front 48-47 with 1:22 remaining

• Morrow converted on a layup with 24 seconds on the clock to give SFU a 51-50 lead at the end of the third period

Fourth Quarter Recap

• Saint Francis led 55-50 following two Thomas free throws with 8:22 to play

• Mount St. Mary's responded with a 9-2 run to seize a 59-57 advantage with 5:47 remaining

• Karson Swogger's (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) three-pointer from the corner put the Red Flash ahead 66-63 with 1:35 left

• Two Kovatch free throws extended SFU's lead to 68-63 with 44 seconds to go

• The Mountaineers connected on a three-pointer to trim the margin to 68-66 with 38 seconds to play

• Saint Francis came up with a defensive stand in the final seconds to secure the victory

Notes

• SFU opens NEC play 2-0 for the second straight season

• The Red Flash defeat the Mountaineers for the third straight time

• The teams were a dead even 39-39 on the boards

• Saint Francis scored 30 points in the paint compared to Mount St. Mary's 24 points inside

• Sabino had four of the Red Flash's seven steals

• Courtney Zezza (Plum, PA/Plum) had three of SFU's four blocks

Up Next

Saint Francis heads to New York for a matchup with LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m.