BOX SCORE SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Dec. 31, 2012) – The Saint Francis University women's basketball team fell on the road to No. 5 Notre Dame Monday, 128-55, to close non-conference action.
 
Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) continued her hot shooting and connected on three 3-pointers and tallied 13 points to lead SFU but it was not enough for the Red Flash (5-6, 0-0) against the Fighting Irish (11-1, 0-0). Notre Dame, who has played in the last two NCAA title games, knocked off the Red Flash using a balanced attack and placed six players in double figures. National Player of the Year candidate, Skylar Diggins posted 14 assists for Notre Dame in its non-conference finale while Markisha Wright led Notre Dame in scoring with 20 off the bench.   
 
“Today was a learning experience,” head coach Joe Haigh said. “I told the team at halftime time that 'We will find out who wants to play.' Everything is great when you are winning games but you really find out what people are made of when you're down. We responded and did a good job of playing tough in the second half.”
 
Notre Dame opened the game on a 31-6 run and limited the Red Flash to just one field goal in the first eight and half minutes. Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) started slow for SFU but finished the first half as the leading scorer for the Flash with six points. Williams also pulled down three rebounds, added two blocks and two assists in the first half. Four players for the Irish scored in double figures in led by Michaela Mabrey and Kayla McBride, who each tallied 13. Diggins notched 10 first half assists. Notre Dame dominated play in the paint outscoring SFU, 36-8, in the first half.  The Irish stretched the lead to as many as 40 and took a 63-25 advantage into the locker room on the strength of 61.9-percent shooting.   
 
The battled hard in the second half and connected on five second half 3-pointers but Notre Dame continued its hot shooting and tallied 65 second half points. Notre Dame fished the game with a 61.8-shooting percentage and outscored SFU 70-20 in the paint.
 
The Red Flash opens conference Saturday in DeGol Arena as they welcome Bryant to Loretto for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
 
GAME NOTES
- The 128 points for Notre Dame are the most ever scored in a game by the women's program. It is also the most points SFU has ever allowed. The 73 point differential is also an SFU school record.
 
- The win is the second largest by any team in the nation this season and the 128 points by the Irish are the most scored by any women's team in division I this season.
 
- Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) fouled out for the second time this season but have come against nationally ranked opponents.