WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis drops a 69-55 decision to Lafayette in non-conference women's basketball action on Sunday.
>>  Bati Assefa registered a career-high 15 points, while Shelby Ricks notched her first Red Flash double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Saint Francis had a run at the end of the first quarter to make it a three-point game, but the Leopards, who had the lead and never let go of it, used a 21-5 second quarter to take control of the game, or so they thought. Trailing 46-20 with 6:31 left in the third quarter, Saint Francis went on a 27-6 spurt to trim the margin to 52-47, with 6:30 on the clock. Lafayette answered with the next 11 points and never looked back. 

FLASH QUOTES
"Third-quarter surges are nice, but we have to figure out how that can be the start of our game. There was some effort on the boards, but I want to challenge our players to move the ball and build some more chemistry offensively. Our best offense is our defense, and when it kicks on, we look great. For us, it's about how we will build that defense-to-offense, but once we figure that out, we will be fine moving forward." - said head coach Chynna Bozeman on the game 

FLASH MOMENTS 
The 27-6 spurt was fueled by Assefa and Ricks, who combined for 17 points after Assefa, who never scored more than six points in a game in her collegiate career, had 10 in this run alone. Aleah James did not have many points in this spurt, but she did have four assists and five rebounds to aid in the run.

Trailing 9-0 in the first quarter, Saint Francis closed the frame on a 13-7 run to cut the margin to 16-13 after the first 10 minutes. Five different players scored during this stretch, with Ricks completing an 8-0 Saint Francis run with a traditional three-point play to cut the margin to 9-8 with 3:51 left in the stanza.

FLASH NUGGETS
Assefa came into the game with 67 career points after scoring 64 points at Chadron State last season and three points in her first two games with the Loretto program. The senior, who was in the starting lineup for the first time this season, finished the afternoon 6-for-8 from the floor, 3 of 4 from behind the arc, and 0-2 from the free throw line, while adding a career-high five assists along with three rebounds. 

Ricks has posted double figures in points in her last three games, and her second game with at least 15 points. It was her ninth 10+ point game of her career. The graduate student also finished with 10 rebounds to notch her second career double-double after a 20-point, 13-rebound performance with Bowie State at Bluefield State on February 15, 2025. She is averaging 14.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in her last three contests. 

James finished with five points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a steal. The nine rebounds were a career-high after she matched her career best with five boards against Robert Morris on Thursday for the sixth time in her career. James was averaging 17.0 points per game in her first three games this season and had two games with at least 17 points, including a career-high 20 points against the Colonials. 

NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis continues its four-game homestand against Carnegie Mellon on Tuesday. Game time is 11 a.m. The game is the annual Education Day game, expected to feature 500-700 students and staff from area schools.  Read Full Article