UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's basketball team fell to Penn State by an 87-54 margin on Monday inside Bryce Jordan Arena.

Karson Swogger and Lili Benzel both reached double figures for the Red Flash with Swogger scoring a team-high 13 points and each sinking three from behind the arc. Jada Dapaa led the Red Flash on the boards with eight rebounds.
 
Saint Francis 54, Penn State 87
Records: Saint Francis (0-2), Penn State (2-0)
Location: The Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)
 
KEY MOMENTS
PSU put together a 13-0 run to end the first half after leading by just one point with six minutes to play in the second quarter. This double-digit lead was not surrendered.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State scored first but Kaitlyn Maxwell made her first collegiate basket to tie the game early. Saint Francis held a 6-4 lead at the midway point of the first quarter after buckets by three different players. The Lady Lions responded with six-straight points on the floor to take a 10-6 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Swogger and Benzel both hit three-pointers as the game was tied at 14 and 16 late in the first quarter. The Lady Lions scored the final points of the first quarter to lead 18-16 after the first 10 minutes of play.

PSU scored the first five points of the second quarter to extend its lead to 23-16 before Swogger responded with back-to-back three-pointers to cut Penn State's lead to one, 23-22, with six minutes to play in the first half.

The Lady Lions scored the final 13 points of the first half to take a 36-22 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter was almost even, with PSU having the slight 22-19 advantage. Saint Francis earned its way to the free throw line eight times in the third quarter, compared to twice in the first half, and was a perfect 8-of-8.

The teams traded points to start the second half before seven unanswered points by Penn State extended its lead to 48-26 with 5:33 to play in the third quarter. Saint Francis' accuracy at the charity stripe prevented PSU from pulling further ahead and Benzel's second three-pointer of the game capped scoring in the third quarter at 58-41.

The Lady Lions scored the first four points of the fourth quarter before Benzel sunk her third three-pointer of the evening to reach double figures. PSU put together a 9-3 run to lead 71-47 midway through the fourth quarter before capping scoring at 87-54 on the evening.

STATS
Penn State had a 40-29 lead in rebounds but only a narrow 11-9 lead in offensive boards. SFU's bench scored 17 points compared to PSU's 24. Swogger and Benzel each hit three shots from behind the arc. Saint Francis was 76.9 percent from the free throw line compared to Penn State's 58.3 percent.

GAME NOTES

• Swogger scored in double figures for the 39^th time in her career.
• Maxwell scored her first collegiate points.
• Benzel reached double figures for the second time in as many games this season and the ninth time as a member of the Red Flash.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis hosts Duquesne in SFU's home opener on Wednesday inside DeGol Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 

Follow Saint Francis Women's Basketball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash program.
 
To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.