Loretto, Pa. / DeGol Arena-Round one of the Northeast Conference's Rivalry Week series and a temporary hold on first-place goes to Saint Francis as they knocked off Robert Morris University, 84-66, in women's basketball action at DeGol Arena in Loretto Saturday evening. Both teams came into the game with conference-leading records of 10-2 while the Red Flash improve to 16-9 overall and the Colonials slip to 13-10.
Senior guard Kristine Silaraja (Ventspils, Latvia / Barton County CC) led all scorers with 20 points, going 6-of-16 from the field and 3-of-8 from three-point range. Freshman Artemis Spanou (Rhodes, Greece / Greek National Team) flirted with the third triple-double in team history, scoring 19 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out eight assists. Junior Mary Durojaye (London, England / British National U20 Team) added 12 points and eight rebounds.
The squads went toe-to-toe right from the tip-off, exchanging the lead eight times over the first nine minutes. Alexandra Williams score nine consecutive points for the Red Flash, putting the host squad up five points, 20-15. A three-pointer and lay-in by Silaraja sandwiched a pair of Williams free throws and cut the lead to two points. A lay-up by Durojaye on the next possession tied the score at 22 with 8:57 left in the first half.
Holding a one-point lead, the Red Flash used a 7-0 run to push their lead to eight points, 34-26, after Samantha Leach drained a three pointer and buried two free throws on the next possession. A left-handed lay-in by Spanou temporarily stalled the Saint Francis momentum. The Red Flash, however, quickly regained their offensive edge and, including the 7-0 run, finished the half on an 18-8 march to take a 40-30 lead into the break.
The Red Flash was red hot from the field, shooting 50 percent (14-28) overall and 57.1 percent (4-7) from three-point range. The Colonials hit just two of their last 11 shots down the stretch, finishing the half at 37.5 percent (12-32).
Again both squads came out swinging to start the second half. Six minutes into the deciding stanza the teams had scored 12 points each. The next seven points, however, belonged to the host Flash capitalized by a three-pointer from Sarah Thorn. The surge gave Saint Francis its biggest lead of the game to that point, 59-42, with 12:28 to play.
A pair of quick baskets gave the Colonials a glimmer of hope, but it quickly ended for RMU. The Red Flash responded by stretching their lead to as many as 25 points when Williams hit a 15-footer to give the host squad a 77-52 lead with 4:20 to play. Robert Morris closed out the game on a 14-7 run to fall 84-66.
Williams, coming off the bench, led four Red Flash scorers in double-figures with 18 points and added 10 boards to record a double-double. Samantha Leach tacked on 16 points, Brittany Lilley added 14 and Nickia Gibbs finished with 12.
The Red Flash shot an even 50 percent (32-64) for the game, including 50 percent (6-12) on three-pointers. Robert Morris shots 56.5 percent (13-23) in the second half to finish at 45.5 percent (25-55) for the game. They were 4-14 (28.6 percent) on three pointers.
These two squads wrap up their NEC Rivalry Week series this Monday, Feb. 14, when they meet in a 7:00 p.m. game at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
