LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's basketball team (5-4, 3-0 NEC) put together an impressive comeback to beat LIU (1-2, 1-2 NEC) by a 76-72 margin on Thursday in the teams' first of two meetings this week.

The Red Flash faced a 14-point deficit with 8:46 left to play but went on a 28-10 run during the remainder of the game to earn the victory.
 
Saint Francis 76, LIU 72
Records: Saint Francis (5-4, 3-0 NEC), LIU (1-2, 1-2 NEC)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
 
KEY MOMENTS
LIU used an 11-2 run in the first quarter and a 10-0 run in the second quarter to jump out to a 40-24 lead at halftime. Though SFU trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half and 14 points in the fourth quarter, the Red Flash finished the game on a 28-10 run and shot a perfect 17-of-17 from the free throw line during the fourth quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first quarter began quickly as both teams scored on its first possession of the game and pushed the tempo. SFU held a 12-10 lead with 3:15 to play in the opening 10 minutes, despite LIU getting hot from long range. The Sharks went 5-of-10 from three-point range during the first quarter, including a trio of three-pointers amidst an 11-2 run to close the quarter with a 21-14 lead.

LIU kept the pressure on the ball in the second quarter, forcing five SFU turnovers in the period and outscoring the Red Flash 19-10. The Sharks' second-quarter push included a 10-0 run as the visitors extended the SFU deficit to a 40-24 mark going into the locker room.

Saint Francis opened the second half of play with an 8-3 run to cut the deficit to 43-32 at the third quarter media timeout. The Red Flash sunk two three-pointers during the run after having none during the first half. Haley Thomas became the first player in the game to reach double figures as she opened scoring in the half.

The Red Flash ended the third quarter on an 8-4 run but the Sharks maintained a double-digit lead, 55-45, going into the final quarter of play. SFU outscored LIU 21-15 during the third quarter.

Lili Benzel cut LIU's lead to single digits for the first time since 4:27 remaining in the first quarter of play with her second long-range shot of the game with 9:35 to play. The Sharks responded with five-straight points on the floor but the Red Flash answered with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 62-55 with 7:45 remaining.

Thomas hit two free throws out of the media timeout as SFU trailed 68-61 with four minutes to play. Beginning with these free throws, the Red Flash outscored the Sharks 17-4 during the remainder of the game, including 14 free throws.

Following Thomas' free throws, LIU pushed its lead back to nine points with 3:34 to play. Neither team would score until Karson Swogger went to the line with 2:13 to play and SFU trailed 70-65 with 2:03 on the game clock. Benzel sunk her third triple of the evening to trim the deficit to two points with 1:44 remaining.

Sam Miller tied the game at 70 with a pair of free throws with 50 seconds to go. Swogger was fouled on the ensuing LIU possession as she grabbed a defensive rebound and gave the Red Flash its first lead since 3:15 to play in the first quarter. After another pair from the charity stripe by Swogger, the Sharks had a chance for a three-point play but missed the free throw to keep SFU's lead at two with 11 seconds remaining. LIU fouled and Swogger capped a perfect 8-of-8 day at the line to secure the Red Flash's victory.

STATS
LIU shot 46.9 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from three-point range during the first half of play, compared to 38.7 percent from the floor and 20.0 percent from three-point range during the second half. SFU increased its production from 34.3 percent from the floor in the first half to 54.4 percent in the second half. The Red Flash did not make a three-pointer during the first half and went 4-of-9 during the second half.

SFU outscored LIU 52-32 in the second half and 31-17 in the fourth quarter alone. The Red Flash won the rebounding battle 40-36 and were 24-of-31 from the line compared to the Sharks 9-of-17. Saint Francis reached the foul line by drawing 30 fouls, including 10 drawn fouls from Swogger alone.

GAME NOTES

• Katie Dettwiller had a career-high 10 rebounds.
• Benzel extended her streak of three-pointers to 18 consecutive games.
• Thomas reached double figures for the third time this season with a season-high 18 points.
• The Red Flash had four double-figure scorers – Thomas (18), Swogger (17), Benzel (15) and Miller (10).
• This is the third time this season that SFU has comeback from a halftime deficit to win the game but the first time that the Red Flash has won after trailing with two minutes to play in regulation.
• This is the fifth-straight game that SFU has outrebounded its opponent.
• The last time Saint Francis won at least five consecutive games was from January 26, 2019 to February 16, 2019 when SFU won six in a row.

 
 
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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.