Red Flash ready to host Bryant in NEC Tournament quarterfinal

Loretto, Pa. - The fourth-seeded Saint Francis women's basketball team (14-16, 11-7 NEC) hosts No. 5 seed Bryant (11-18, 9-9 NEC) in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals on Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on NEC Front Row.

Scouting Bryant
The Bulldogs have never faced Saint Francis in the NEC Tournament. Bryant has won its last two games and five of its previous six contests. The Bulldogs defeated LIU Brooklyn 69-54 on March 4 for head coach Mary Burke's 400^th career win. Bryant had a last second basket to knock off Wagner this past Thursday, 76-73. Junior Sydney Holloway leads the team offensively, averaging a double-double with 17.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

Series History
Saint Francis leads the all-time series 10-9 with an 8-2 mark when playing inside DeGol Arena. Bryant and SFU split the season series with each team winning on its home court. The Red Flash recorded a 78-66 win over the Bulldogs in the last meeting on February 11 in Loretto.

Red Flash look to make postseason run
SFU has hosted an NEC Tournament quarterfinal game in each of the past four seasons. The Red Flash will need to win three games in seven days to secure the NEC's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The semifinals of the NEC Tournament will be played on Thursday, March 14 at the highest two remaining seeds. The Championship game will be on Sunday, March 17 at the highest seed.

Kovatch and Zezza to play in likely last game at DeGol Arena
Senior captains Jess Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) and Courtney Zezza (Plum, PA/Plum) will play in likely the last game at DeGol Arena in their storied four-year Saint Francis careers. Both have left their marks on the record books as Kovatch is the school and NEC's all-time leading scorer and three-point shooter with 2,795 career points and 461 three-pointers. Zezza holds the program's all-time blocks record with 295 career blocks.

Thomas looks to provide extra spark
Sophomore forward Haley Thomas (Hooversville, PA/Bishop McCort) emerged as a starter for SFU nine games into the regular season and has made her impact felt. She has scored in double-digits in 13 games this season, including five of the last seven. Thomas netted a career-high 27 points in the Red Flash's win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Feb. 25.

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