LORETTO, Pa.  – Saint Francis University women's basketball dropped its Friday matchup at Youngstown State 81-41.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Destini Ward scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
» Semaya Turner scored a career-high nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field.
» Aaliyah Moore finished with seven rounds, while Filippa Goula and Layla Laws added two assists each.
» Youngstown State's Malia Magestro finished with a game-high 17 points.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Youngstown State took a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game before Moore scored the first Saint Francis basket with 6:50 remaining in the quarter. The Penguins followed with a 10-2 run and opened at 17-4 lead in the first eight minutes. With a 25-9 lead after the first quarter, Youngstown State outscored Saint Francis 24-4 in the second and led 49-13 at halftime.
 
In the second half, Youngstown State led by as many as 44 points, 76-32 with five minutes remaining in the game. The Penguins outscored the Red Flash 32-28 in the second half to seal their 81-41 victory.

FLASH NUGGETS
Ward's career-high 15 points is tied for second-most by a Red Flash player this season (Laws scored 19 and 15 points in a single game this season). It is the most points scored by a Saint Francis freshman since Katie Dettwiller scored 17 points against St. Francis Brooklyn on Jan. 25, 2020.
 
Freshman Katie Ambrose saw her first game action of the season and recorded one rebound and one assist.
 
NEXT
Saint Francis heads to the Tulane Holiday Tournament in New Orleans. The Red Flash are set to face Tulane on Tuesday, Dec. 20 for a 1 p.m. ET tip-off. Saint Francis will face wither VCU or Tennessee Tech on Wednesday, Dec. 21 based on Tuesday's results.