BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – The St. Francis Brooklyn women's basketball team (9-7, 3-1) came from behind to down the Red Flash of Saint Francis University (6-10, 3-1) on Monday evening. This is the first time the Terriers begin 3-1 to start conference play since the 2013-14 season. The victory for St. Francis Brooklyn puts them in a tie for third place in the conference standings.
The contest began as quick as you would ask it to, with a lay-up from freshman guard
Ebony Horton off the tip-off. The Terriers would start the contest shooting 3-of-4 from the field with baskets from Horton, Palarino, and Ward. Redshirt junior
Mia Ehling would contribute two triples off the bench from the right wing. The Red Flash would respond with a 5-0 run from Karson Swogger as she would sink in a shot from the paint, and a triple on a fast-break. Leading scorer in the NEC Jessica Kovatch would conclude the quarter with a triple from the left wing to give her squad a four-point lead.
Second quarter woes began for the Terriers where they fell to a 10-point deficit against the Red Flash. Swogger, Kovatch, and Thomas would all convert shots to give Saint Francis a 24-14 lead. The opposition would go on a 18-3 run in a five-minute span. Head Coach
Linda Cimino turned the tables quickly as her players fired back. Beginning with
Dominique Ward drawing a foul, her teammates joined in on the fun. Senior guard
Amy O'Neill converted a triple to narrow the lead to five.
The second half began a run for the Terriers that no one saw coming, including the Red Flash. The Terriers would go on a 9-2 run that began with a
Maria Palarino fast break to score two. Junior guard
Jade Johnson would score 15 points in the quarter alone, by converting on all four shots from beyond-the-arc. One of the triples included a foul which she then converted into a four-point play after netting one from the line. The Terriers would score 28 points in the quarter compared to 10, and would finish the quarter on a 10-0 run in the final 3:34 of the stanza, and would make the total a 21-5 run in the 6:48 of the quarter.
The Terriers would maintain their lead at 15 till the final moments on a Timbers lay-up in the right lane to narrow the lead to 13. St. Francis Brooklyn would finish the game 78-65 heading into a crucial conference matchup on Saturday against Sacred Heart, who are in first place.
St. Francis Brooklyn won the battle of the bench, by outscoring the Red Flash 13-4. The Terriers also out-rebounded Saint Francis University 44-32, and would assist on more 11 more baskets than the opposition (21-11).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 78 | Saint Francis University – 65
- Junior guard Jade Johnson notched her first double-double of the season by scoring 27 points, and grabbing 10 rebounds. The junior would convert six-of-11 triples from downtown in 32 minutes of game-action. This is Jade's eighth 20+ point game of the season.
- Graduate guard Dominique Ward notched 11 points on the evening. Grabbed two rebounds, and assist on two buckets. The Trenton, NJ native shot 50% from the field by converting four-of-eight in 31 minutes of play.
- Senior guard Maria Palarino added nine to the scoring column, moving her closer to 1,000 in her career. The captain would convert four-of-five from the field, and grab 10 rebounds. Palarino also assisted on five buckets (matched a career high) in 22 minutes of action.
- Freshman guard Ebony Horton etched 10 points into the scoring column, grabbed four rebounds, and would assist on six baskets in 38 minutes of play. Horton shot 40% from the field (4-for-10)
- Sophomore forward Ally Lassen scored seven points, and grabbed five rebounds in 18 minutes of play. Lassen converted five-for-eight from the line for the second straight game.
- Redshirt Junior guard Mia Ehling tallied six points off the bench. Both baskets came from beyond-the-arc. Ehling would also grab a lone rebound in 12 minutes of play.
- Senior guard Amy O'Neill scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds, and assisted on six baskets in 38 minutes of play.
UP NEXT:
The Terriers return home to welcome the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University on Saturday, January 19 at 1 p.m. from the Pope Physical Education Center.
