LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's basketball team (9-4, 7-0 NEC) defeated Merrimack (0-5, 0-5 NEC) on Thursday by a 70-62 margin inside DeGol Arena in its first game back after being paused, never trailing in the ball game.
With 2:34 remaining in the first half, senior guard
Karson Swogger reached the 1,000-point milestone with a pair of free throws.
Saint Francis 70, Merrimack 62
Records: Saint Francis (9-4, 7-0 NEC), Merrimack (0-5, 0-5 NEC)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
KEY MOMENTS
The Red Flash hit four three pointers in the first quarter, including two from
Kaitlyn Maxwell, already eclipsing her single game career-high. An 8-2 run to begin the second quarter gave the Red Flash their first double digit lead of the night. With 2:34 left in the half, Swogger sank two free throws for her 1,000
th career point. Merrimack was able to keep it between seven and 12, and SFU ultimately took an 11-point lead into halftime at 41-30.
Late in the third quarter, Saint Francis went on a 12-2 run to give them their biggest lead of the night so far, 57-40, leading to a 59-43 advantage heading into the fourth. In the fourth, Merrimack cut the Red Flash lead to six with under 20 seconds to go, but two SFU free throws captured a 70-62 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Maxwell opened the scoring with a corner three. After jumping out 5-0, Merrimack answered with a 5-0 run of their own to tie the game early. The teams traded baskets, but a
Jenna Mastellone three sent the Red Flash into the media timeout up 13-9. The threes continued to rain down for SFU, who tallied four in the first quarter. The Red Flash stretched its lead to 18-11 late, but Merrimack cut it to four, 20-16, heading into the second.
In the second quarter, SFU scored eight of the first 10 points to take a 28-18 lead. Merrimack was able to cut the lead to seven, but another three from Mastellone stretched the Red Flash lead back to double digits. At the 2:34 mark of the period, Swogger got to the line for two shots. She nailed both of them, giving her the ninth point of her night and her 1,000
th career point.
Merrimack was able to cut the Red Flash lead to seven late, but SFU took an 11-point lead into the locker room after a
Jada Dapaa offensive rebound led to another Mastellone three.
The third quarter began with a quick five points from Merrimack, but SFU answered with a couple baskets of their own to head into the media timeout up 47-40. The final four minutes of the third saw a 12-2 Red Flash run, capped off by a Swogger three, to put SFU up 57-40 before the quarter ended 59-43.
In the fourth, the Red Flash preserved its lead by trading baskets with the Warriors and staying strong on defense, holding a 61-49 lead at the media timeout. Merrimack cut into their deficit late, using an 11-4 run to cut the lead to nine, but a pullup jumper by Maxwell brought the Red Flash lead back up to 11 with 1:20 to play. From there, the Warriors cut the lead to six and began fouling with under 20 seconds remaining, but SFU sunk their free throws and held on for a 70-62 win.
STATS
The Red Flash shot 53.3 percent in the first quarter and 53.8 percent in the third quarter but the teams finished the game nearly identical in shooting percentage. SFU was 8-of-21 from three-point range, compared to 6-of-21 from the Warriors. Saint Francis fouled a season-low nine times, allowing Merrimack just five free throw attempts. The Warriors were 2-of-5 from the charity stripe while the Red Flash were 12-of-14. SFU won the boards, outrebounding Merrimack 38-34.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Francis' nine-game win streak is the longest since the 2009-10 season.
- Swogger became the 26th player in Saint Francis history to eclipse 1,000 career points.
- Maxwell scored a career-high 12 points and had her first game with more than one three-pointer.
- Mastellone scored a career-high 16 points.
- The Red Flash had four players score in double figures – Swogger, Mastellone, Maxwell and Dapaa.
- SFU outrebounded its opponent in the ninth-straight game, winning the rebounding battle 38-34.
UP NEXT
The Red Flash and Warriors meet again in Loretto on Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row.
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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit
francis.edu.
