WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> It's starting to be a trend that the Saint Francis women's basketball team wins on the anniversary of a big event in program history. After earning its first victory of the season on the 57th Anniversary of the first game and a win in program history, the Red Flash defeated CCSU 74-63 on Saturday in NEC action on the 39th Anniversary of the first-ever NEC win in team history.
>> Aleah James powered the Red Flash with 19 points, while Cassandra Hawthorne added 10 points.
>> Saint Francis earned its 399th NEC win 39 years to the day of the first league win, a 98-67 win against LIU in 1987.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
The Red Flash jumped out to a 10-2 lead that it would not relinquish in the first four minutes of the game. James and Sajol Thornhill both hit a trey, while Giselle Eke and Shelby Ricks added a basket. 

The Blue Devils trimmed the margin to 47-46 with 2:14 left in the third quarter, but a 19-3 run by Saint Francis helped the Red Flash earn its first road win of the season.

FLASH MOMENTS
In the second quarter, after CCSU cut the difference to two points with 6:35 on the clock, Saint Francis responded with a 13-4 run to retake a double-figure lead at 34-23 with 4:11 left. Hawthorne powered the spurt with seven points.

Sparked by eight points by James, the Red Flash pulled away with a 19-3 run over the third and fourth quarter, while Bati Assefa added five points and Gemma Walker had four points in the surge.

FLASH NUGGETS
James notched her best game in league play and her third-best total of her career with 19 points on Saturday. The graduate student shot 7-for-14 from the floor, 1 of 4 from behind the arc and 4 of 4 from the charity stripe. It was her first 10+ point game since posting 16 points at Fordham and her seventh of the season.

After grabbing eight rebounds against Stonehill on Thursday, Hawthorne reached double figures in scoring for the fourth time in her career, and the first time since her career-high 24 points against Fordham. The graduate student shot 3-for-5 from the floor, 2 of 2 from behind the arc and 2 of 2 from the free throw line for her 10 points. 

Ricks finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while Walker had six points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Walker was averaging 16.0 points per game in her previous three games after scoring double figures for a career-high three times in a row.

Makyiah Ward grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and added seven points. Zaiha Minnis, who also had eight points against Lafayette on November 16, tied her season-high with eight points.

Saint Francis defeated Wagner 75-67 on January 8. The first-ever Red Flash women's basketball game was a 59-24 win at Mount Aloysius on January 8, 1969. 

It was the first road win of the season and the first since an 80-65 win against Mercyhurst on March 6, 2025.

Saint Francis looks to become the first school in NEC history to reach 400 wins with its next victory. If the Red Flash reaches the milestone in the next five games, it would be against a team that Saint Francis has two NEC wins or fewer against. Saint Francis has one win against Chicago State and two against Mercyhurst, while it will be facing New Haven for the first time.

On the other hand, the Red Flash defeated CCSU for the 36th time to tie Robert Morris for the fifth most wins against an NEC opponent with LIU (49), Wagner (49), St. Francis Brooklyn (47) and FDU (45), the four teams that have helped the most get Saint Francis on the cusp of 400 wins.

NEXT ON TAP
The Red Flash wraps up its three-game road trip at Chicago State on Thursday. Game time is 7 p.m. (EST)/6 p.m. (CST). Read Full Article