LORETTO, Pa.  – Saint Francis University women's basketball dropped its final game of a four-game home stand 67-65 against Merrimack. The decision dropped Saint Francis to 4-6 in conference play and improved Merrimack to 5-5.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Destini Ward tied a career-high with 15 points and added a career-high 12 rebounds for her first-career double-double.
» Filippa Goula scored 15 points, her most with Saint Francis, and dished out six assists.
» Semaya Turner scored eight points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
» Kaylee Thomas had a game-high 22 points and was 4-of-6 shooting from three-point territory.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Merrimack held a 7-5 lead midway through the first quarter before a 13-3 run saw the Warriors lead 20-8 with 2:30 remaining in the quarter. Saint Francis went on a 24-1 run across nine and a half minutes of game time and opened a 32-21 lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. Merrimack responded with a 9-2 run, but Saint Francis took 34-30 lead into the half.
 
Merrimack began the third quarter on a 17-4 run and took a 47-38 lead with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter before they took a 53-43 lead after the third. In the fourth quarter, Saint Francis chipped away at the lead and trailed by one point, 66-65, with 1:12 remaining. In a two-point game, 67-65, in the final 15 seconds, Saint Francis possessed the ball but could not tie the game.

FLASH NUGGETS
Ward joins teammates Aaliyah Moore (four) and Sam Miller (one) as the only three Red Flash players with a double-double this season. The 12 rebounds crushed her previous career-high of seven set on Jan. 28 against Central Connecticut.
 
Goula's 15 points accounted for her ninth double-digit scoring game of the season, which leads the team. She has recorded three double-digit scoring games in a row.
 
Jade Campbell recorded 11 rebounds in only 11 minutes played, which was two shy of her career-high of 13 set at Xavier on Nov. 13.
 
NEXT
Saint Francis heads back on the road to face Sacred Heart on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.