LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball defeated Le Moyne 55-52 to hand the Dolphins their first conference loss of the season. Le Moyne was the final remaining undefeated team in conference play.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Destini Ward scored a game-high 18 points and added seven rebounds.
» Kendall Carruthers had 15 points with a team-high three assists and added six rebounds.
» Marina Artero scored a career-high 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting with six rebounds.
» Julianna Gibson had a game-high 10 rebounds.
» Le Moyne's Lytoya Baker had a team-high 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting.

TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
Le Moyne opened an early 7-2 lead with 7:04 remaining in the first quarter before Saint Francis ended the quarter on a 15-8 run and led 17-15. With both teams tied at 20 with 5:42 remaining in the first half, Saint Francis went into halftime on a 12-4 run and led 32-24.
 
Saint Francis led by at least five points for the entire third quarter and took a 44-36 lead into the fourth. After the Red Flash led 52-45 with 4:46 remaining, a 7-0 Le Moyne run tied the game with 52 seconds left. With three converted free throws and defensive stop, Saint Francis earned its three-point victory.

FLASH NUGGETS
Carruthers had her third straight game with at least 15 points and is averaging 21.3 points per game in that span. She raised conference total to 16.8 points per game through the first five and stands at 12.8 per game this season.
 
Ward fell one point shy of tying her career high. She raised her conference scoring total to 15.8 per game and 11.1 overall.
 
Artero broke her previous career-high of six points and also set a career high with her four converted field goals.
 
Gibson's 10 rebounds tied her career high. She led the Red Flash to a 42-27 advantage over the Dolphins in rebounds.
 
NEXT
Saint Francis heads on a two-game road trip that begins Thursday, Jan. 25 at Stonehill for a 6 p.m. tip-off on ESPN+.