LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's basketball team (12-6, 10-2 NEC) downed Sacred Heart (8-6, 8-4 NEC) by a 72-67 margin in the teams' second overtime contest in a row.

Jada Dapaa picked up her fourth double-double of the season, registering 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Karson Swogger led the Red Flash with 17 points. Both made free throws down the stretch in overtime to seal the victory.
 
Saint Francis 72, Sacred Heart 67
Records: Saint Francis (12-6, 10-2 NEC), Sacred Heart (8-6, 8-4 NEC)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)

KEY MOMENTS
Saint Francis held a two-point lead with under 30 seconds to go, but Sacred Heart had possession and tied the game on a layup with 15 seconds left, sending the game to overtime for the second night in a row. A Jada Dapaa offensive rebound and put-back gave the Red Flash its first lead of overtime, and Saint Francis never surrendered it again for the 72-67 win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Minutes after recognition for 1,000 points, Karson Swogger broke the ice with a layup for the first basket of the game, and continued to make her presence felt by assisting on the next two Red Flash field goals to take a 6-2 lead after 2:35 of play. The Red Flash defense continued to hold strong early, and a Jenna Mastellone three-pointer sent SFU into the first media timeout up, 11-6. Late in the first quarter, Haley Thomas put the Red Flash up eight, its biggest lead up to that point. A buzzer-beater at the foul line from Swogger gave Saint Francis an 18-13 advantage after one.

Sacred Heart opened the second quarter on a 6-2 run of its own to cut the lead to one, but a fast-break layup from Thomas and a Sam Miller post score pushed the lead back to five at the media timeout. Out of the timeout, the Red Flash stayed hot, using a 12-0 run to stretch the lead from 20-19 to 32-19 with 2:30 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers cut into the Red Flash lead, but Saint Francis held a 32-25 at halftime.

Swogger opened the scoring for the Red Flash in the second half as well, burying a three to put Saint Francis up eight. Both defenses stood strong to start, with the teams going 7-7 in the first six minutes of the third quarter prior to the media timeout. In the final four minutes of the quarter, the Red Flash outscored Sacred Heart by two to take a 49-40 lead into the fourth.

The Pioneers came out in the fourth quarter and forced a Red Flash timeout after an 8-4 run trimmed the SFU lead to five. Sacred Heart then cut it to two at 55-53, but the Red Flash continued to get stops, holding a four-point lead with under a minute to go. Sacred Heart cut it to two with 57 seconds remaining, and found itself with the ball and under 30 seconds to go. The Pioneers finished a layup with 15 seconds left to tie the game and give the Red Flash the last shot, but Saint Francis could not convert and the game needed overtime for the second night in a row.

In overtime, the Pioneers scored the first basket, but Kaitlyn Maxwell answered with a pull-up jumper to tie. The teams continued to trade buckets and saw themselves locked at 65 with under two minutes. An offensive rebound and put-back by Dapaa gave the Red Flash its first lead of overtime. Sacred Heart tied the game against with under a minute remaining before Swogger knocked down two at the line to take a 69-67 lead. With possession Sacred Heart, leading scorer Adrianne Hagood missed a jumper to tie the game and Mastellone came up with the rebound to give the Red Flash the ball with 19 seconds. Free throw makes from Dapaa and a missed three from Sacred Heart sealed the win for the Red Flash, 72-67.

STATS
Saint Francis won the rebounding, 44-42. The Red Flash also held the advantage in free throws, going 17-of-20 compared to Sacred Heart's 7-of-10. SFU also outshot SHU from the floor and behind the arc. The Red Flash recorded 15 assists while the Pioneers totaled six.

GAME NOTES

• Katie Dettwiller recorded a career-high four blocks. This is her fourth game this season with at least three blocks and the eighth of her career.
• Dapaa picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
• Swogger scored in double figures for the 13^th-straight game.
• Lili Benzel made a three-pointer for the 25^th-consecutive game.
• All eight SFU players who saw the floor recorded points and rebounds.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis travels to Mount St. Mary's on Sunday for the first game in the home-and-home series. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.
 
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.