BOX SCORE GAME HIGHLIGHTS - POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

LORETTO, Pa. (Nov. 18, 2012) –The Saint Francis U women's basketball team held off a late rally by Akron Sunday to stay perfect on the season and earn a, 74-73, win at DeGol Arena.
 
Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) led the Red Flash (3-0, 0-0) to just their third 3-0 start in school history with another strong effort racking up 22 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists. The Zip (3-1, 0-0) struggled to get their leading scorer Rachel Tecca started in the first half. Tecca, who entered the game averaging 22 points a game was limited to just two in the first half thanks to a solid defensive effort by Shene Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) and limited minutes due to foul trouble. Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) also posted a solid effort for SFU with 15 points, seven boards and four assists.
 
The Zips rallied from down as many as 16 in the second half and took the lead with 48 seconds remaining but Fleming dropped in a layup with 31 seconds left to give the Flash the lead for good. Kacie Cassell missed a layup with nine seconds left and Fleming secured the rebound for the Flash. The junior forward missed the front end of the one-and-one opportunity giving Akron one last opportunity but the half-court shot came up short.

“We are really trying to wear teams down this season,” head women's basketball coach Joe Haigh said. “They (Akron) had a couple mistakes on inbounds plays and Alli (Williams) got a steal and some easy layups and those were mistakes that Akron would not normally make.”
 
Saint Francis jumped out to its big second half advantage thanks to 11-2 run early in the second stanza. Fleming and Williams powered the run as the pair combined for six points and two assists during the stretch. After another small run by the Red Flash, SFU pushed the lead to 65-49 with 6:35 remaining in regulation. Akron rallied and only allowed five SFU field goals the rest of the way and used a 24-8 run to take the lead.  
 
The game started slow with both Akron and Saint Francis going the first 2:16 without a basket but the contest picked up as Hanna Luburgh stepped up for Akron as Williams powered SFU. Once both teams got going, Akron was able to get out to a 30-25 advantage with 3:32 remaining in the first half. Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) cut into the lead with a 3-pointer and then Rebecca Keegan (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) tied the game at 30 with a layup and 2:31 remaining in the first frame. SFU locked down defensively and after a missed jumper by Williams, Keegan pulled down one of her two boards and earned a trip to the free throw line. The junior split the pair at the line, but SFU forced Akron into a bad shot, the Flash retrieved the rebound and with the clock ticking down Gibbs found Williams for a 3-pointer to give SFU a 34-30 halftime lead.
 
After the slow start Tecca finished with 14 in the game and played the entire second half for the Zips. For the third consecutive game, Williams saw nearly 40 minutes. After just two points and a pair of rebounds in the first half, Fleming finished the game with 13 points and nine rebounds.   
 
Saint Francis returns to action Tuesday with a road contest against No. 20 Ohio State with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
 
GAME NOTES
- Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) fell just three assists short of her second career triple double. On the week, Williams averaged 22 points and 16 rebounds.
 
- Saint Francis shot 50-percent (15-of-30) from the field in the second half.
 
- SFU's bench outscored Akron's 16-4 with Rebecca Keegan (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) scoring 11 for the Flash.
 
- The seven assists for Williams were a career high. Keegan's 11 points were one short of a career high.