TOWSON, Md. – The Saint Francis women's basketball team (4-4, 2-0 NEC) beat Towson (5-2) by a 78-69 margin in Tuesday afternoon's non-conference finale.

The Red Flash got into an offensive rhythm in the first half, coupled with a defense that was able to disrupt a Tigers offense that averaged 96.3 points per game coming into Tuesday's contest, to secure the victory. Saint Francis had four double-figure scorers on the day.
 
Saint Francis 78, Towson 69
Records: Saint Francis (4-4, 2-0 NEC), Towson (5-2)
Location: SECU Arena (Towson, Md.)
 
KEY MOMENTS
After falling behind 8-3 to begin the contest, the Red Flash jump-started its offense with a 10-0 run including eight points from Lili Benzel. Saint Francis also put together a 13-0 run in the second quarter after Towson fought back to take the lead with 4:29 remaining in the first half.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Towson scored the first two points of the game by free throw before Karson Swogger got Saint Francis on the board with a three-pointer. The Tigers answered with a 6-0 run to take an 8-3 lead with 6:46 to play in the opening quarter.

Benzel scored eight-straight points on the floor, including two three-pointers, to give Saint Francis the lead back with 5:44 on the first-quarter clock. Christina Nichols capped the SFU run at 10-0 as the Red Flash led 13-8 before Towson ended its scoring drought.

Benzel made another three-pointer before the first quarter ended as the Red Flash led by as many as eight but finished the first 10 minutes with a 24-18 lead.

Both teams had a slow start to the second quarter as the first basket by either team came from Towson with 7:18 to play in the first half. The Tigers went on a 12-5 run to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter 30-29 with a pair of free throws out of the media timeout with 4:29 remaining in the second quarter.

On the following possession, Benzel would convert on a layup to take the lead back for the visitors, a lead that would stand until the halftime horn. Saint Francis ended the second quarter on a 13-2 run that included two more three-pointers from Benzel as the Red Flash held a 10-point lead at halftime, 42-32. Benzel scored a career-high 21 points in the first half and tied her career-high five three-pointers.

Jenna Mastellone opened scoring in the second half with a three-pointer. The Red Flash extended its lead to as many as 16 points, 59-43, with 1:18 remaining in the third quarter. The Tigers would close the gap with a 7-0 run to cap the third quarter scoring at 59-50 as Towson had the 18-17 edge in the third quarter.

Towson scored first in the fourth quarter and trimmed the Saint Francis lead to six, 63-57, with 6:35 remaining on the game clock. The Tigers got into foul trouble as the Red Flash entered the bonus with over five minutes to play. SFU capitalized on this, making 11 free throws during the fourth quarter to hold off Towson's push and win the game by a 78-69 margin.

STATS
Both teams shot 41 percent from the floor during the game but Saint Francis was 9-of-22 (41%) while Towson was 5-of-17 (29%) from three-point range. The Tigers held the advantage in free-throw percentage but the Red Flash got to the line for 29 shots compared to Towson's 10 free throw attempts.

Saint Francis dominated the boards, out-rebounding Towson 47-32. SFU also led in bench points (34-12) and steals (7-5) while the Tigers had the slight edge in assists (13-12). Each team had 14 turnovers.

GAME NOTES

• Benzel continues her streak of three-pointers as she's now hit at least one long-range shot in each of her last 17 games.
• Benzel scored a career-high 21 points and ties her career-high five three-pointers.
• Jada Dapaa grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, totaling at least 10 for the second-consecutive game, and falling just one shy of her career-high.
• Dapaa registered the first double-double of her career, finishing the game with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
• Swogger scored in double figures for the sixth time this season, ending the game with 16 points.
• Mastellone scored in double figures for the third-straight game and fourth time this season, totaling 12 points.
• Saint Francis' four-game win streak is the longest since 2018-19, when the Red Flash won six in a row during conference play.
• Swogger's seven rebounds were a season-high.

 
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.