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LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball wraps up the 2023-24 non-conference slate at UMBC on Friday, Dec. 29 for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
Destini Ward is second among active Red Flash players with 8.7 points per game and has scored at least eight points in seven straight games. She has four double-digit scoring efforts during that stretch. She ranks 10th in the Northeast Conference with a team-high 1.5 steals per game. Kendall Carruthers leads Saint Francis with 11.4 points per game, which rank seventh in the NEC. Kameryn Dorsey is seventh in the conference with 2.3 assists per game despite ranking seventh among active Saint Francis players with 19.4 minutes per game. Julianna Gibson is 10th in the NEC with a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis fell in its final game before the Christmas break 85-43 at Syracuse. The Orange opened the game on a 23-0 run and ended the first quarter with a 26-6 lead. Syracuse outscored Saint Francis 19-9 in the second frame and led 45-15 at the half. Saint Francis then outscored Syracuse 17-16 in the third quarter, but a 24-11 fourth-quarter advantage for Syracuse clinched its 42-point victory. There were 9,109 fans in attendance for the game at LMA Wireless Dome for Syracuse's School Day, which was the largest crowd Saint Francis played in front of since Dec. 3, 2014 at Tennessee.
 
Scouting UMBC
The Retrievers enter Friday's game, their final non-conference game of the season, with a 3-8 overall record and 1-8 record against Division I programs. UMBC earned its first Division I victory of the season in its last game 60-59 at American. UMBC lost 65-42 to Morgan State this season, who Saint Francis defeated 69-59 on Dec. 2. The Retrievers are led by Anna Bount's 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. She has two double-doubles this season. Jordan Lewis follows with 10.2 points per game as the only other double-digit scorer. Jaliena Sanchez leads the team with 1.7 steals and added 7.9 points per game.
 
All-Time vs. UMBC
Saint Francis owns an 8-5 all-time record over UMBC since the first meeting in 1987. The programs will meet for the first time in over 20 years, with the last three games played during the 2002-03 season. Saint Francis defeated UMBC 58-41 in the last meeting, which was played in the NEC Tournament.
 
Around the NEC
Eight of the nine NEC teams will wrap up their respective non-conference schedules between Dec. 28 and Jan. 3. Merrimack is the only NEC team to conclude its non-conference slate and ended with a 3-10 record. Sacred Heart remains atop the standings with a 5-8 record, while Stonehill is the only team without a win at 0-12.
 
Next
Saint Francis begins its conference schedule on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 4 p.m. against Wagner.