Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Saint Francis University Athletics

Phee Allen
58
Sacred Heart SH 6-10,3-2 NEC
60
Winner Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA 7-10,5-1 NEC
Sacred Heart SH
6-10,3-2 NEC
58
Final
60
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA
7-10,5-1 NEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Sacred Heart SH 14 13 19 12 58
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA 11 13 22 14 60

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | David Halstead

Allen's three-pointer sends Red Flash past Sacred Heart, 60-58

Loretto, Pa. – Saint Francis sophomore Phee Allen (Newport News, VA/Woodside) connected on the game-winning three-pointer with 19 seconds left and a defensive stand helped the Red Flash (7-10, 5-1 NEC) defeat Sacred Heart (6-10, 3-2 NEC) 60-58 on Saturday at DeGol Arena. Jenna Mastellone (New York City, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) scored a career-high 14 points, including 4-of-4 from three-point range.

With the Red Flash trailing 58-57 with 24 seconds remaining, Allen inbounded the ball to Karson Swogger (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) who took four dribbles towards the basket and kicked it out to Allen. The Newport News, Va. native calmly knocked down the shot to give SFU the lead. Sacred Heart had three shot attempts from short range in the final 11 seconds, but the Red Flash defense held strong to secure the victory.

The Pioneers jumped out to an early 11-2 lead with 2:32 left in the first quarter. SFU then started to heat up. A Lili Benzel (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle (Shippensburg)) three-pointer sparked a 9-3 Red Flash run as Swogger's jumper with 30 seconds to go cut the margin to 14-11 at the end of the first stanza.

Mastellone's first triple tied the score 16-16 with 7:12 to play in the second quarter. A Katie Dettwiller (Portsmouth, Ohio/Notre Dame) jumper gave Saint Francis its first lead at 20-19 with 5:29 remaining. The teams continued to trade baskets as MaKenzie Pollard's (Baltimore, MD/Western) layup put the Red Flash ahead 24-21 with 2:19 to go. Sacred Heart then closed the period on a 6-0 run to hold a 27-24 halftime advantage.

The Pioneers extended its lead to 33-26 at the start of the third quarter. A Sam Sabino (Rumson, N.J./Rumson Fair Haven (New Hampshire)) trifecta cut the margin to 33-30 with 7:19 to play in the third frame. Mastellone then caught fire from behind the arc to tie the game 39-39 with 4:04 remaining. SFU led 44-41 following an old-fashioned three-point play from Sam Miller (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown). Sacred Heart regained the lead before a Swogger layup at the buzzer tied the score 46-46.

Mastellone opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to take a 49-46 lead. A quick 5-0 Pioneers run put the visitors in front 51-49 with 7:40 remaining in the contest. A Dettwiller layup followed by another Mastellone trey helped Saint Francis to a 54-51 lead.

Thomas' three-pointer pushed the Red Flash advantage to 57-53 with 4:22 to go. Five straight Sacred Heart points gave the Pioneers a 58-57 lead with just under two minutes to play. Both teams were unable to come up with points over their next possession as SFU grabbed a defensive rebound with 30 seconds to go. Whittington called timeout moments later to set up Allen's final shot.
 
Inside the Box Score
  • Saint Francis shot 22-of-51 (43.1%) from the floor, including a stellar 8-of-17 (47.1%) from three-point range.
  • The Red Flash shot 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line.
  • SFU held a narrow 38-37 rebounding advantage.
  • Swogger had five of the team's 13 assists.
  • The Red Flash scored 27 points off the bench.
  • The game featured eight ties and nine lead changes.
Notes
  • SFU cuts the Sacred Heart series lead to 24-17.
  • The Red Flash have won two straight over the Pioneers.
  • Saint Francis starts NEC play 5-1 for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
  • Mastellone's 14 points eclipsed her previous best of 10 points, which she scored the last time out on Jan. 13 vs. Wagner.
  • Thomas recorded nine points and nine rebounds, but was unable to reach double-figures for the first time since Dec. 21, 2019 against Bucknell.
Up Next
Saint Francis returns to action to host NEC newcomer Merrimack on Monday, Jan. 20. Tipoff in the MLK day matinee is set for 1 p.m.
Print Friendly Version
Sidearm Sports, opens a new window