BOX SCORE

LORETTO, Pa. (Feb. 20, 2012) – In Monday's regular season home finale, the Saint Francis University women's basketball team undoubtedly got better as time went on.  For Central Connecticut State, the game simply went on too long.

The Red Flash scored a season-low-tying 19 points in the first half, outscored the Blue Devils, 43-32, in the second and finally, in double-overtime, pushed past CCSU for a thrilling, 86-83, victory at DeGol Arena.

“I think that was a great game for fans to see, for sure.  We had a lot of offense in that second half,” said Saint Francis head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl.  “Our kids did a great job of coming back, keeping their composure and really attacking the rim.”

Sophomore Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) led SFU's four double-digit scorers with 27 points.  Rhonda Watts (Alabaster, Ala./Thompson) tallied 16, while Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) and Haley Carangelo chipped in 15 and 11, respectively.

Williams scored all 12 of Saint Francis' points in the overtime period and intercepted an inbounds pass on the final play of the game to deny the Blue Devils a chance at a game-tying 3-pointer.

“I came out really slow tonight,” said Williams of her five points in the first half.  “The bench picked it up and carried the team.  I kind of got a burst of energy at the end and… did everything I could to steal the win.”

Watts, who was shutout in the first half, loomed large down the stretch.  The junior scored five straight points to cut the Flash deficit to two with under two minutes to go in regulation.  Williams then registered a steal, ran length of the floor and tied the game at 60 with a layup.

Watts scored 12 points in the second period alone to help SFU pull back into the game.

“In the second half, we started getting better – we started clicking,” said Watts.  “We just took it from there.”

Central Connecticut State, which was mathematically eliminated from the postseason on Monday, was paced by Jaclyn Babe, who racked up 24 points – 15 of which came at the foul line.

The Blue Devils accumulated 33 personal fouls and saw four player foul out of the contest, which forced them to play the final four seconds with only four players on the floor.

The Red Flash looked lethargic on offense for most of the first half, hitting on only six of 28 field goal attempts. The 21 percent clip, however, could be considered passable in light of a particularly anemic start by SFU.

Saint Francis tallied two points over the first seven minutes of the game, committing seven turnovers in that same span.  A Rebecca Keegan (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) jumper at the 11:23 mark made the score, 12-6, in favor of the Blue Devils and represented just the second SFU field goal of the game to that point.

Conversely, the Blue Devils shot 43 percent in the opening period, but saw their average slip in each subsequent frame.  CCSU shot 39 percent (5-of-13) in overtime.

The Red Flash hits the road for the final time this season when it visits Sacred Heart on Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest.  Saint Francis concludes the regular season on Monday with a 7 p.m. game at Quinnipiac.