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LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball travels to Stonehill on Thursday, Jan. 25 for a 6 p.m. tip-off. The game will be Saint Francis' first of two conference games featured on ESPN+ against Stonehill.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
Kendall Carruthers was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week for the third time this season after she averaged 22.5 points in two games last week. She had a career-high 30 points on 8-of-9 shooting from three-point territory at LIU followed by 15 points against Le Moyne. She ranks second in the NEC with 16.8 points per game in conference play and fourth with 12.8 overall.
 
Destini Ward led Saint Francis with 18 points against Le Moyne and raised her season total to 11.1 per game. She is tied for third in the NEC during conference play with 15.8 points per game. Ward leads Saint Francis with 1.4 steals and ranks third with 4.4 rebounds per game. Julianna Gibson paces Saint Francis with 5.4 rebounds per game overall and is ninth in the NEC with 6.3 per game during conference play. Kameryn Dorsey is third in the NEC during conference play with 3.7 assists per game and she leads NEC freshmen with 2.7 overall.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis defeated Le Moyne, the NEC's final remaining undefeated team in conference play, 55-52. The Dolphins opened a 7-2 lead in the first three minutes of the game before Saint Francis ended the quarter on a 15-8 run and led 17-15. In a 20-point tie with 5:42 remaining in the first half, the Red Flash ended the half on a 12-4 run and led 32-24. The Red Flash maintained at least a five point lead the entire third quarter and led 44-36 at the end of the frame. Down seven points, 52-45, with 4:46 remaining, Le Moyne's 7-0 run tied the game with 52 seconds remaining. After Destini Ward sunk two free throws, followed by a defensive stop and one converted Carruthers free throw, Saint Francis earned its three-point victory.
 
Scouting Stonehill
The Skyhawks own a 2-4 conference and 2-17 overall record heading into Thursday's game. Stonehill was the only NEC without a victory during the non-conference schedule. The Skyhawks had two conference victories 60-56 over FDU and 67-44 over Wagner. Lauren Sampson leads Stonehill with 12.8 points per game in six contests this season. She made her season debut on Dec. 30. Sharn Hayward is fifth in the NEC with 14.7 points per game in conference play and she averages 9.3 overall this season. Maureen Stapleton leads Stonehill with 7.7 rebounds per game overall, while Jada Thornton leads the team during conference play with 7.5. Stapleton also averages a conference fourth-best 0.8 blocks per game.
 
All-Time vs. Stonehill
Saint Francis owns a 2-0 advantage over Stonehill after the Skyhawks reclassified to Division I last season. The Red Flash defeated the Skyhawks on the road 56-52 in the inaugural game before they took a 71-70 overtime victory at home. Ward, who started both games, and Gibson are the only two current Saint Francis players who logged minutes against Stonehill last season.
 
Around the NEC
Saint Francis (2-4) handed Le Moyne (4-1) its first conference loss of the season 55-52. Sacred Heart (4-1) moved back into a first-place tie with le Moyne after an 83-63 victory over Wagner (1-4). Merrimack (3-3) won its third game in a row with a 72-60 win over Stonehill (2-4). LIU (3-2) also won its third straight game with a 57-50 victory over Central Connecticut (2-3). On Thursday, Saint Francis visits Stonehill, LIU visits Sacred Heart, Merrimack visits Le Moyne and Central Connecticut visits FDU.
 
Next
Saint Francis concludes its road trip on Saturday, Jan. 27 at Merrimack for a 3 p.m. tip-off.