Watch | Live Stats | SFU Game Notes

LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set to conclude its four-game home stand with a Saturday, Feb. 4 matchup with Merrimack for a 4 p.m. tip-off. The Warriors are the only Northeast Conference team Saint Francis has not faced yet this season.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
The Red Flash won back-to-back games for the first time this season after a 71-70 overtime victory against Stonehill. The 71 points were a season-high effort by Saint Francis. Aaliyah Moore recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points, that tied her career-high and 13 rebounds. She ranks 15th in the NEC with 10.9 points per game during the conference season and is first overall with 9.2 rebounds per game this season. Semaya Turner scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds in just 23 minutes, tied for the sixth-most by a Red Flash player in the win over Stonehill. She has three double-digit scoring performances this season, all in the past seven games. Filippa Goula hit the eventual game-winning shot in both of Saint Francis' back-to-back wins and is second on the team with 7.2 points per game and is fifth in the NEC with 2.7 points per game this season.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis won its first overtime game of the season 71-70 against Stonehill. The Skyhawks held a 19-14 lead after the first quarter and took a 32-26 lead into the half. A 15-7 run for the Red Flash across the first 6:30 of the third quarter saw Saint Francis take a 41-39 lead before the Red Flash took a 48-47 lead after three quarters. Stonehill produced a 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter and opened a 57-50 lead with 6:45 remaining in the game. Saint Francis narrowly cut the deficit to a four-point game, 66-62, with one minute remaining before two Turner free throws and a Destini Ward layup in the final minute sent the game to overtime tied at 66. In overtime, free throws accounted for the first five points scored and gave Stonehill a 69-68 edge with under three minutes remaining. Goula converted a layup with 2:34 remaining and gave the Red Flash a 70-69 lead. A Goula free throw with 18 second remaining gave Saint Francis a two-point, 71-69 lead before Stonehill's Sharn Hayward converted one free throw and cut the deficit to one point with six seconds remaining. The Skyhawks grabbed the rebounds on the missed free throw but missed a three-point attempt before Saint Francis sealed its 71-70 overtime victory.
 
Scouting Merrimack
The Warriors enter Saturday's game with a 4-5 conference and 6-14 overall record. Merrimack has won four of its last five games, which included handing Sacred Heart its only conference loss of the season 66-54 on Jan. 19. Marissa Hamilton leads the Warriors with a conference fourth-ranked 15.5 points per game and is fifth amongst qualified players with a 38.7 field goal percentage. Both Hamilton and Amaya Staton are top-10 in the conference with 5.3 rebounds per game. Jayme DeCesare is second on the team with 10.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the conference with 1.8 three-point field goals per game.
 
All-Time vs. Merrimack
Saint Francis holds a 3-2 advantage over Merrimack since the first meeting between the programs in 2020. Merrimack won the last meeting between the programs 69-64 last season after three wins in a row by Saint Francis. Moore and Layla Laws, with eight and two points respectively, were the only two current Saint Francis players to score in the last meeting. Merrimack's DeCesare led returning Warriors' players with 10 points in the last meeting.
 
Around the NEC
Sacred Heart moved into sole possession of first place in the NEC at 8-1 with a 65-47 victory over Wagner. The game handed Wagner its second loss in a row and moved the Seahawks to 6-2. St. Francis Brooklyn defeated Central Connecticut 70-61 and moved to 6-3, while the Blue Devils dropped to 2-7. A 71-70 overtime win for Saint Francis over Stonehill and a 61-39 Merrimack win over LIU moved both teams to 4-5. On Saturday, Central Connecticut hosts Sacred Heart, Stonehill hosts St. Francis Brooklyn, Wagner hosts Fairleigh Dickinson and Saint Francis hosts Merrimack.
 
Next
Saint Francis heads back on the road to face current first-place opponent Sacred Heart on Thursday, Feb. 9 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.