| Saint Francis Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Yanessa Boyd |
5-9 |
So. |
7.5 |
3.5 |
35.2 |
Looking for first 10+ point game since January 2 |
| G |
4 |
Marissa Shelton |
5-8 |
Jr. |
6.3 |
2.0 |
33.6 |
Averaging 9.9 ppg in last six games |
| G |
10 |
Ineivi Plata |
5-3 |
Fr. |
5.0 |
3.5 |
36.3 |
Has scored double-digit points in three of the last four games |
| F |
12 |
Julianna Gibson |
6-2 |
Jr. |
5.1 |
3.2 |
51.1 |
Notched 10 points and six rebounds at Le Moyne |
| F |
23 |
Marina Artero |
5-11 |
So. |
1.7 |
4.1 |
32.7 |
10th in the NEC in total rebounds with 51 |
| Top Players Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Kameryn Dorsey |
5-6 |
So. |
7.0 |
5.0 |
60.0 |
Out for season due to an injury |
| F |
3 |
Jade Campbell |
6-0 |
Jr. |
5.6 |
4.6 |
42.9 |
Leads the team in rebounding |
| G |
5 |
Natalie Johnson |
5-8 |
Jr. |
9.2 |
2.4 |
48.8 |
Scored career-high 21 points at Le Moyne |
| G |
11 |
Harris Robinson |
5-8 |
Sr. |
3.4 |
2.5 |
36.8 |
Grabbed season-high seven rebounds at Le Moyne |
| G |
20 |
Airah Lavy |
5-10 |
Fr. |
6.2 |
1.1 |
32.5 |
Shooting 40% from three in NEC play |
| G |
21 |
Gemma Walker |
5-10 |
Fr. |
1.2 |
0.3 |
23.5 |
Notched career-high four points vs Le Moyne |
| G |
24 |
Destini Ward |
5-8 |
Jr. |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Team captain in 2024-25 |
| F |
32 |
Fanta Daffe |
5-10 |
Sr. |
0.0 |
0.6 |
0.0 |
Grabbed two rebounds against Le Moyne |
| F |
33 |
Giselle Eke |
6-3 |
Fr. |
1.8 |
2.1 |
28.9 |
Tied career high for rebounds at Wagner (5) |
| F |
34 |
Alary Bell |
6-2 |
So. |
4.8 |
4.5 |
51.7 |
Averaging 5.2 rebounds in NEC play |
Game Notes
SAINT FRANCIS TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Saturday's meeting marks the first time that Saint Francis and Chicago State will play against each other. Chicago State was one of the newest members added to the NEC in 2024 and the teams never faced one another since the Cougars became a Division-I independent in the 1984-85 season.
• Saturday's battle will begin a four-game homestand for the Red Flash. After their duel with Chicago State, the team will face Stonehill (Feb. 13), CCSU (Feb. 15), and Mercyhurst (Feb. 20). It will be the final home games of the season, with the last three taking place on the road. The team will look to move their home-game winning streak to four after tallying three-straight victories in January over Le Moyne (73-41), LIU (63-54), and Wagner (51-47).
• The women have won five of their last six games and are currently sitting in second place in the NEC with a 6-3 record. It is the fifth time in their history that they are started their conference slate with a 6-3 mark, joining the 1989-90, 1990-91, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2018-19, and 2019-20 teams. With a win on Saturday, the 2024-25 squad can join the 1989-90, 2013-14, 2018-19, and 2019-20 teams as the only Saint Francis squads to start 7-3 in NEC play.
• In the Red Flash's latest 68-60 overtime win over the Dolphins,
Natalie Johnson recorded a career-high 21 points. It is the second time this season that the junior tallied 20 or more points after registered 20 in the 79-63 conference-opening win at CCSU on Jan. 2.
• Across the NEC, Saint Francis sits 2.5 games behind 8-0 FDU in the second place spot. The Red Flash hold a half-game lead over 5-3 Stonehill, who had a bye on the sixth, at the number two spot. They also received help from the Knights, who beat CCSU (who was also 5-3), 61-52, to drop them to 5-4 and fourth in the conference. A Saint Francis win and a Stonehill loss to LIU on Saturday will put the Red Flash at a 1.5 game advantage going into next week's games against Skyhawks (Feb. 13) and Blue Devils (Feb. 15). The two battles will have big implications on NEC Tournament seeding going forward, as back-to-back victories can help the Red Flash's cushion on the two seed and the chance to host a quarterfinals game.
• All three home games for the Red Flash will have a special meaning. The contest against Chicago State will be the team's Black History Month game, the game against Stonehill will be the annual Pink Game with the SAAC Push Up Challenge, and the tilt against CCSU will be the team's senior game. The final game of the slate will honor
Fanta Daffe and
Harris Robinson.
• It will be the first time a team from Illinois will visit Loretto. The Red Flash has played Illinois (2002-03) and Loyola-Chicago (2022-23) on the road in their team history.
AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Earn their first ever win over Chicago State
• Secure their sixth victory in the last seven games
• Move their home-game win streak to four
• Improve to 7-3 for the fifth time in team history
• Keep them either a half a game or one and a half games up on Stonehill & CCSU
ABOUT THE COUGARS
• Chicago State comes into Saturday's contest with an overall record of 3-21 and are 3-6 in NEC play. The Cougars are coming off a 68-76 loss at Mercyhurst. They had won two of their last three games prior to the loss, including a 84-77 win versus third-seeded CCSU on Jan. 23.
• Aiyanna Culver led the Cougars with 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the loss. Culver leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game and has dished out 60 assists.
• Josie Hill has tallied the most rebounds per game (6.0), blocks (26), and field goal percentage (51.1). Asha Walker rounds out the team leaders with 36 made threes and 26 steals.
LAST TIME WE MET
• Saturday's game will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
LAST TIME OUT
• Junior
Natalie Johnson scored a career-high 21 points in the Red Flash 68-60 overtime win over Le Moyne on Thursday.
• It was the second 20-point game of Johnson's career after pouring in 20 at CCSU on Jan. 2. Her pull-up jumper with 1:04 left in the extra quarter to give the Red Flash a 60-58 lead proved to be the difference maker, as it sparked a 8-2 run to close out the game.
• Johnson and senior
Harris Robinson tied for the most rebounds with seven. Johnson also posted a team-high two steals.
• Junior
Julianna Gibson and freshman
Ineivi Plata tallied 10 points apiece to compliment Johnson. They each now have three games where they recorded double-digit points in conference play. For Plata, she has averaged 10 points in the last four games.
• It was the fifth win in the last six games after starting conference play 1-2.
BACK HOME
• Saint Francis is back home for four-straight games between Feb. 8-20. The team is 3-5 at home so far this season. They have averaged 55.6 points per game and allowed 57.4 on the defensive end.
• After dropping the first game of the four-game homestand to FDU, 63-55, the team won the next three games between Jan. 11-20. It is their best start to the NEC slate since the 2021-22 squad won three-straight games between Jan. 6-15 as a part of their five-game winning streak.
• In their wins over Le Moyne, LIU and Wagner, the defense held the opposing offenses to a combined 47.3 points per game. This included a season-low 41 versus the Dolphins on Jan. 11.
• Saint Francis started the winning streak with a dominant 73-41 win over Le Moyne on Jan. 11. The Red Flash defense held the Dolphins to a 26.3% field goal percentage. At the time, it was the lowest percentage that a Red Flash team has held an opposing offense to since holding Hartford to 22.2% on Dec. 30, 2022.
• During the 63-54 victory versus LIU on Jan. 18, freshman Airah Lavy (14), Shelton (13), and junior Julianna Gibson (12) all eclipsed double-digit points. Lavy (4) and Shelton (3) made all seven of Saint Francis's three pointers made.
• In the Red Flash's 51-47 win over Wagner on Jan. 20, Sophomore Alary Bell notched her career high in rebounds with 13. It was Bell's first game with double-digit boards. Her night was joined alongside freshman Ineivi Plata's 13 points and three blocks. Plata's three blocks helped in holding the Seahawks' offense to a 26.2% field goal percentage, surpassing the previous mark set on the 11th.
• Junior Marissa Shelton was on fire during the Janaury homestand, averaging 12.5 points a game while having shooting splits of 45.9% from the field and 40% from three. Her best game came against top-seeded FDU, where she poured in a season-high 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field and knocking down three of her four triples.
STATE OF THE NEC
• FDU leads the NEC with an 8-0 record. With Thursday's win over the Dolphins, Saint Francis moves a half game above 5-3 Stonehill, who was on their bye, as the No. 2 seed in the standings. With a win from each teams on Saturday, it will remain that way going into their showdown at DeGol Arena on the 13th.
• The Top-4 teams receive a home game in the quarterfinals. The Red Flash's win on Thursday moves them to three games above Le Moyne, who is sixth. Saint Francis received help on Thursday after CCSU, who was also 5-3 coming into the night, lost to FDU. They are up one game now as a result and it can improve to 1.5 with a victory on Saturday.
• Mercyhurst's win over Chicago State puts them at 5-5 and the fifth seed in the conference. The Red Flash and the Lakers still have to play their season series on Feb. 20 at DeGol Arena and March 6 at Mercyhurst.
• Next week's schedule could be key to Saint Francis' hopes of hosting a home game in the NEC Tournament with Stonehill (February 13) and CCSU (February 15) both coming to town. Wins against the Skyhawks and Blue Devils will improve the Red Flash's chances at obtaining the second seed.
• This will be the 10th time the NEC has a nine-team, 16-game league schedule. Last season, the No. 4 seed finished 8-8, while in 1991-92, a team that won eight games also hosted a game but had to go through a tiebreaker. In 1989-90, 1990-91, and 2022-23, a nine-win team sat in the Top-4, but just like in 1991-92, the 1990-91 four seed was decided by a tiebreaker. In 1986-87, the fourth seed won 10 games, and in 1987-88 and 1988-89, the No. 4 team won 11 games, although in 1987-88, the fifth seed won just six games.
• Saint Francis is 6-3 at the halfway mark of league play. It is the sixth time in program history that a Red Flash team has started with that record. With a win versus Chicago State, they can become 7-3 for the fourth time ever.
• Under head coach Keila Whittington, the 6-3 start is the third-best start under the sixth-year head coach. The 2019-20 Flash started 6-2 before losing its next game, while the 2020-21 team won the first nine tilts in league play for the best start in the last six seasons. The 2021-22 team also started the first eight games 5-3.
