The Retrievers used a 6-0 run midway through the first quarter to take the lead it would not relinquish. UMBC also used a 14-7 second quarter to extend its lead to nine points at the half, and the Red Flash could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

FLASH QUOTES
"The first quarters have been great for us. We struggled in that second quarter, and that's still a work in progress to figure out how to withstand the first punch. We will go back to the drawing board and continue to work." - head coach Keila Whittington on the second quarter

"The team, in general, is learning how to play with each other and how to figure things out. It's a daily process for us, and as we continue to fight, prepare, learn, and grow, we'll only get better." - Whittington on the team's progression

"Jade is a confident player. She wants the ball inside, wants to be able to score, and has a nose for the ball regarding offensive and defensive rebounding. Jade's a very skilled player and was really determined to rebound at Delaware State. We gave it to her, and she finished. So we're excited to have her here. We're excited to have her back, and she's a joy to coach." - Whittington on Jade Campbell's return 

"Both games are on the road, and against, you know, two tough teams, Butler and Rhode Island. We've got to stay on the rebounding piece because to go back down on offense, we have to rebound. Rebounding is hard, desire, and effort. We will also continue talking about sharing the basketball, moving the ball around, getting our guards in position to score, and getting the ball inside. It'll be constantly trying to put the right people on the floor together to help us be successful." - Whittington on the last two non-conference games

"I'm just very grateful to be back. It's been a long time, a long 15 months. So, it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I just stuck with it. I want to thank everyone for helping me in this process." - Jade Campbell on returning from injury

"I was just going to get the rebound, and it's coming to me. I boxed out really well, and one of my biggest strengths is rebounding. Since I was little, I always could rebound." - Campbell on her game against Delaware State

FLASH MOMENTS
Airah Lavy knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:17 left in the first quarter to give Saint Francis its only lead of the afternoon. 

Trailing 17-11 with 94 seconds left in the first quarter, Boyd scored the final four points of the frame to trim the margin to 17-15 after the first 10 minutes.

The Red Flash scored five unanswered points in the third quarter to cut the margin to eight points. Shelton hit a jump shot and converted the free throw for the traditional 3-point play at 2:17, and then Giselle Eke made two charity tosses with 85 seconds left in the spurt.

Saint Francis closed the game with the final seven points. Boyd opened the run with a free throw before Harris Robinson hit a jumper at 3:19. Boyd and Shelton added baskets in the final three minutes.

FLASH NUGGETS
Boyd, a native of Frederick, Md., has registered double figures in six of the seven games she has played against teams from her home state. The sophomore had a then career-high 16 points at UMBC in last year's tilt, while her 13 points on Sunday are the highest she scored in her career at DeGol Arena. She has recorded double figures in points in three of her last five games, including a career-high 20 points at Duquesne on December 1.

Shelton recorded her fourth game this season with at least eight points, with three coming in Loretto and the other at Duquesne. The six boards marked a new career high and the first time she had had five rebounds in a game. 

Coming off her 17-point, 19-rebound effort at Delaware State on Thursday, Campbell posted four points, six rebounds, and assists in her first game at DeGol Arena since February 18, 2023, against LIU. The junior, who missed all last season and the first six games of 2024-25 recovering from injury, averaged 10.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in her previous two games. 

The game against UMBC ended a five-game road trip, but the team returns to the road for the next four games, taking the squad into Northeast Conference play.  The 1985-86 team had a comparable road trip when it recorded 10 of 11 games on the road. The 1988-89 team played nine of 11 on the road and eight of 10 games away from DeGol Arena in 1986-87 and 1998-99. Since the turn of the century, only the 2010-11 team had eight consecutive on the road with a three-game and a four-game homestand sandwiching the long road trip. 

UP NEXT
Saint Francis returns to action after final exams at Butler on Sunday, December 15. Game time is 1 p.m.