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LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set to host Youngstown State in its final non-conference home game of the season on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
Kendall Carruthers earned her second Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week honor in a row on Dec. 4. She ranked fifth in the NEC with a team-high 13.5 points per game and has scored at least 12 points in the last five games. Yanessa Boyd (9.1) and Destini Ward (8.6) both rank in the top-20 of the conference in scoring. Ward has scored at least 11 points in four of the last five games. She is also tied for 11th in the conference with 1.5 steals per game. Kameryn Dorsey leads Saint Francis with a conference seventh-best 2.5 assists per game despite being eighth on the team with 18.4 minutes per game. Marina Artero (6.0) and Julianna Gibson (5.6) both rank in the top-10 in the NEC in rebounds per game.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis earned its first victory of the season 69-59 over Morgan State. Saint Francis held an early 16-8 lead in the first before Morgan State cut the deficit to 18-16 by the end of the opening frame. In the second, Saint Francis built a nine-point, 34-25, lead by halftime. Out of the half, Morgan State slowly cut the deficit to 43-39 by the end of the third quarter. The Bears came all the way and took its first lead of the back 51-50 with 5:28 remaining. A back-and-forth few minutes saw Morgan State lead 56-55 with 3:13 remaining in the game. Saint Francis responded with a 14-3 lead to end the game and clinch its 10-point victory.
 
Scouting Youngstown State
The Penguins enter Saturday's game with a 3-6 overall and 0-2 Horizon League record. Youngstown State took its victories 55-41 over Xavier, 53-52 over Akron and 78-32 over NCAA Division II member Slippery Rock. The Penguins lost 65-63 to Robert Morris on Dec. 3, who the Red Flash also fell to 61-50 on Nov. 6. Emily Saunders leads the way with 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Shay-Lee Kirby adds 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, followed by Dena Jarrells 8.2 points and team-high 3.3 assists per game.
 
All-Time vs. Youngstown State
Youngstown State owns a 5-3 all-time advantage over Saint Francis since the first game in 2007. The Penguins won the most recent meeting 81-41 last season and are on a current three-game winning streak in the head-to-head matchup. Saint Francis owns a 2-2 record at home against Youngstown State.
 
Around the NEC
As of Dec. 7, Stonehill remains the only team in the NEC without a victory at 0-9 this season. Sacred Heart leads the way with five wins, followed by Merrimack's three and Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner's two. Seven of the nine NEC teams will be in action from Friday to Sunday, with LIU and Stonehill the only teams not playing.
 
Next
Saint Francis takes a trip to NJIT on Friday, Dec. 15 for a 6 p.m. tip-off.