LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set for the Tulane Holiday Tournament from Dec. 20-21 in New Orleans. The Red Flash face Tulane on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. ET and will face either Tennessee Tech or VCU on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at a time to be determined.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
Destini Ward set a career-high with 15 points at Youngstown State, which was the most by a Saint Francis freshman since Katie Dettwiller scored 17 points on Jan. 25, 2020. Ward is up to 7.0 points per game, which is fourth on the team and leads all freshmen. Aaliyah Moore continues to lead the Northeast Conference with 9.4 rebounds per game, 2.0 more than any other NEC player and 42nd in the NCAA Division I. Freshman Semaya Turner started the first game of her collegiate career at Youngstown State and scored a career-high nine points. As a team, Saint Francis has outrebounded or tied its opponent in six of the 10 games. The Red Flash are the only team in the NEC with a positive rebounding margin at 0.8.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis dropped a non-conference matchup at Youngstown State, 81-41 on Dec. 16. 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.
 
Scouting Tulane
The Green Wave enter the Tulane Holiday Tournament with a 7-3 overall record and 4-2 record at home. Tulane is riding a two-game winning streak and has won four of its last five games. Their three losses are against Alabama, LSU and Northern Iowa. Marta Galic leads the Green Wave with 14.7 points per game, while Dynah Jones is second with 14.4. Both players rank top-10 in the American Athletic Conference. Galic also leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the AAC. Rachel Hakes leads the AAC with 6.8 assists per game, which is seventh in the NCAA. As a team, the Green Wave leads the AAC with 77.2 points per game and are atop the division with a plus-18.9 point differential.
 
Scouting Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles enter the Tulane Holiday Tournament with a 6-3 overall record and are on a current three-game winning streak. Maaliyah Owens leads Tennessee Tech with 12.9 points per game and Anna Walker is second with 9.9. The Golden Eagles' lineup features six players with at leats seven points per game. Reghan Grimes leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game, while Walker is second with 5.2. Jada Guinn leads Tennessee Tech with 3.9 assist per game and 1.6 steals per game.
 
Scouting VCU
The Rams enter the Tulane Holiday Tournament with a 3-8 overall record and are on a current four-game losing streak. Sarah Te-Biasu leads VCU with 14.5 points per game and 2.6 steals per game, which is tied for 46th in the NCAA. The Rams have three players averaging above seven points per game. Chloe Bloom leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.

All-Time vs. Tulane Holiday Tournament Teams
Saint Francis has only faced Tulane, an 89-67 loss in 2013. The game was played in Fort Myers, Fla. at a neutral site. In the game, Alli Williams, Saint Francis' fourth leading scorer in program history, had a 31 point, 11 rebound double-double. Wednesday's game against Tennessee Tech or VCU will be the first against either program.
 
Next
Saint Francis concludes the non-conference schedule with a home matchup against Hartford on Friday, Dec. 30 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.