NEC Media Notes

2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball First Round

#4 Maryland Terrapins vs. #1#133 SaintSaint FFrancisrancis (P(PA)A) RReded FlashFlash Northeast Conference Champions

March 20 l College Park, MD 2011 NEC Women’s Basketball Tournament Games held at campus sites. Higher seed hosts all games. Teams will be reseeded after quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship

#1 Saint Francis (PA)

Saturday, March 5 Saint Francis (PA) (72-59) 2:00 pm at Highest Remaining Seed #8 Fairleigh Dickinson Tuesday, March 8 Saint Francis (PA) (68-62) 7:00 pm #4 Robert MorrisA (NortheastConference.TV)

Saturday, March 5 Lowest Remaining Seed 4:00 pm Central Connecticut State (54-49) #5 Long Island Sunday, March 13 3:00 pm Saint Francis (PA) (72-57) #2 Monmouth ESPNU NEC Champion

Saturday, March 5 Monmouth (55-36) 3:00 pm 2nd Highest Remaining Seed #7 Quinnipiac Tuesday, March 8 7:00 pm #3 Sacred Heart Monmouth (65-62) Saturday, March 5 3rd Highest Remaining Seed 3:00 pm Robert Morris (78-72) #6 Central Connecticut State

Past NEC Tournament Winners and Most Valuable Players 2011 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #2 Monmouth, 72-57 (Loretto, PA) MVP: Brittany Lilley, SFPA 2010 - Final Result: #5 Saint Francis (PA) def. #2 Long Island, 77-68 (Brooklyn, NY) MVP: Britney Hodges, SFPA 2009 - Final Result: #1 Sacred Heart def. #3 Saint Francis (PA), 74-66 (Fairfield, CT) MVP: Kaitlin Sowinski, SHU 2008 - Final Result: #2 Robert Morris def. #4 Long Island, 86-75 (Moon Twp., PA) MVP: Chinata Nesbit, RMU 2007 - Final Result: #2 Robert Morris def. #3 Sacred Heart, 68-66 (Fairfield, CT) MVP: Chinata Nesbit, RMU 2006 - Final Result: #1 Sacred Heart def. #2 Quinnipiac, 69-65 (Fairfield, CT) MVP: Amanda Pape, SHU 2005 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #3 Robert Morris, 65-50 (Loretto, PA) MVP: Beth Swink, SFPA 2004 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #3 Monmouth, 70-55 (Loretto, PA) MVP: Tonjee Ward, SFPA 2003 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #7 UMBC, 58-41 (Loretto, PA) MVP: Beth Swink, SFPA 2002 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #2 Long Island, 74-54 (Loretto, PA) MVP: Karen Hewitt, SFPA 2001 - Final Result: #3 Long Island def. #1 Mount St. Mary’s, 70-61 (Trenton, NJ) MVP: Tamika Dudley, LIU 2000 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #6 Wagner, 74-60 (Trenton, NJ) MVP: Jess Zinobile, SFPA 1999 - Final Result: #2 Saint Francis (PA) def. #4 Monmouth, 88-76 (Staten Island, NY) MVP: Jess Zinobile, SFPA 1998 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #3 Wagner, 74-49 (Loretto, PA) MVP: Mary Markey, SFPA 1997 - Final Result: #1 Saint Francis (PA) def. #2 Monmouth, 54-42 (Loretto, PA) MVP: Jess Zinobile, SFPA 1996 - Final Result: #2 Saint Francis (PA) def. #1 Mount St. Mary’s, 83-75 (Emmitsburg, MD) MVP: Mary Markey, SFPA 1995 - Final Result: #1 Mount St. Mary’s def. #2 Saint Francis (PA), 80-61 (Emmitsburg, MD) MVP: Nikki Schroyer, MSM 1994 - Final Result: #1 Mount St. Mary’s def. #2 Saint Francis (PA), 78-67 (Emmitsburg, MD) MVP: Susie Rowlyk, MSM 1993 - Final Result: #2 Mount St. Mary’s def #4 Marist, 82-61 (Teaneck, NJ) MVP: Diana Matula, MSM 1992 - Final Result: #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 Mount St. Mary’s, 78-55 (Emmitsburg, MD) MVP: Barbara DeShields, FDU 1991 - Final Result: #4 Robert Morris def. #6 Wagner, 69-61 (Emmitsburg, MD) MVP: Maebeth Schalles, RMU 1990 - Final Result: #3 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 Mount St. Mary’s, 70-65 (Emmitsburg, MD) MVP: Cathy Panos, FDU 1989 - Final Result: #1 Wagner def. #2 Robert Morris, 66-60 (Staten Island, NY) MVP: Cynthia Quinlan, WC 1988 - Final Result: #2 Robert Morris def. #1 Monmouth, 63-60 (West Long Branch, NJ) MVP: JoAnn Beatty, RMU 1987- Final Result: #1 Monmouth def #3 Fairleigh Dickinson, 92-65 (West Long Branch, NJ) MVP: Linda Wilson, MU 2010-112010-112010-11 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NN EWSEWS && NN OTESOTES 399 Campus Drive, First Floor, Somerset, NJ 08873 Women’s Basketball Contact: Ralph Ventre Phone: 732-469-0440/Fax: 732-469-0744 E-Mail: [email protected] Bryant • Central Connecticut State • Fairleigh Dickinson • Long Island • Monmouth • Mount St. Mary’s Quinnipiac • Robert Morris • Sacred Heart • St. Francis (NY) • Saint Francis (PA) • Wagner NEC Women’s Basketball Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Facts & Figures (Standings thru March 17, 2011) NEC Tournament School NEC Pct. Overall Pct. Streak Home Away Neutral Saturday, March 5 1. Saint Francis (PA)* 14-4 .778 22-11 .667 W5 14-1 7-10 1-0 NEC Tournament Quarterfinals (Higher Seed Sites) 2. Monmouth* 13-5 .722 23-10 .697 L2 15-2 8-8 0-0 #1 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 72, #8 FDU 59 3. Sacred Heart* 12-6 .667 18-13 .581 L2 10-5 7-7 1-1 #2 MONMOUTH 58, #7 QUINNIPIAC 39 Robert Morris* 12-6 .667 16-14 .533 L1 8-4 7-10 1-0 #6 CCSU 54, #3 SACRED HEART 49 5. Central Conn. St.* 11-7 .611 19-11 .633 L1 10-2 9-8 0-1 #4 ROBERT MORRIS 78, #5 LONG ISLAND 72 Long Island* 11-7 .611 19-11 .633 L3 9-5 10-6 0-0 Tuesday, March 8 Quinnipiac* 11-7 .611 14-16 .467 L2 8-4 6-10 0-2 NEC Tournament Semifinals (Higher Seed Sites) 8. Fairleigh Dickinson* 7-11 .389 14-16 .467 L3 9-4 5-12 0-0 #2 MONMOUTH 65, #4 ROBERT MORRIS 62 Bryant 7-11 .389 10-19 .345 W2 7-6 3-12 0-1 #1 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 68, #6 CCSU 62 10. Wagner 5-13 .278 12-17 .414 L2 6-7 5-10 1-0 Mount St. Mary's 5-13 .278 8-21 .276 L3 5-8 3-13 0-0 Sunday, March 13 12. St. Francis (NY) 0-18 .000 2-27 .069 L18 2-13 0-14 0-0 NEC Championship (Highest Remaining Seed) *- Denotes that team has clinched NEC Tournament berth. Top eight teams in final standings qualify for NEC Tournament. #1 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 72, #2 MONMOUTH 57 2010-11 NEC Women’s Basketball Award Winners NEC in Postseason Play Player of the Year Thursday, March 17 Syracuse 77, MONMOUTH 53 (WNIT) Samantha Leach Saint Francis (PA) Sr. 5-10 G Mt. Sterling, OH/Miami Trace Manhattan 52, SACRED HEART 48 (WBI) Rookie of the Year Sunday, March 20 Artemis Spanou Robert Morris Fr. 6-0 F Rhodes, Greece NCAA First Round #13 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at #4 Maryland 12:20 pm on ESPN2 Defensive Player of the Year Erin Rooney Monmouth So. 5-8 G Christchurch, New Zealand

2011 NEC Tournament Bracket Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year All Games Played at Higher Seed Susan Robinson Fruchtl Saint Francis (PA) March 5 March 8 March 13 (Quarterfinal) (Semifinal) (Championship) 2010-11 NEC Women’s Basketball First Team All-Conference #1 St. Francis (PA) Name School Yr. Ht. Pos. Hometown/High School Game 1 #1 St. Francis (PA) 2:00 pm Courtney Kaminski Quinnipiac Sr. 6-3 C Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill #8 FDU #1 St. Francis (PA) Game 5 Mariyah Laury Fairleigh Dickinson Jr. 5-7 G Orange, NJ/Orange #4 R Morris 7:00 pm Game 2 Samantha Leach Saint Francis (PA) Sr. 5-10 G Mt. Sterling, OH/Miami Trace 4:00 pm #6 CCSU Ashley Palmer Long Island Jr. 5-10 F Oxford, PA/Oxford Area #5 Long Island Game 7 SFPA Callan Taylor Sacred Heart Jr. 6-0 F Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley 3:00 pm EST #2 Monmouth (LIVE on ESPU) Game 3 #2 Monmouth 2010-11 NEC Women’s Basketball Second Team All-Conference 3:00 pm #7 Quinnipiac Name School Yr. Ht. Pos. Hometown/High School Game 6 #3 Sacred Heart 7:00 pm #2 Monmouth Brittany Lilley Saint Francis (PA) Jr. 5-8 G Severna Park, MD/Severna Park Game 4 3:00 pm Yohanna Morton Robert Morris Sr. 5-8 G Santo Domingo, DR/Arizona Western #4 Robert Morris #6 CCSU Erin Rooney Monmouth So. 5-8 G Christchurch, New Zealand Artemis Spanou Robert Morris Fr. 6-0 F Rhodes, Greece Alysha Womack Monmouth So. 5-7 G Springfield, PA/Cardinal O’Hara All games played in the home facilities of the higher seed. Saint Francis (PA) Road to The ÎÎ NCAA Tournament

Saint Francis (PA) Snags 11th Northeast Conference Crown Red Flash Repeat at NEC Tournament, Set for 11th Trip to Big Dance since 1996

Loretto, PA - Saint Francis (PA) added another piece to its overcrowded Saint Francis (PA), however, would not let Monmouth get any closer. trophy case on Sunday afternoon. The top-seeded Red Flash defeated No. 2 Monmouth, 72-57, in the 2011 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball "We cut it to fou,r and Erin got a good look at a three, but that's part of what's Championship Game presented by Ruby Tuesday. made PA so dangerous - they go on runs!" said Gaitley.

Tournament MVP Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park) and The Flash held the Hawks without a field goal for the next eight minutes until NEC Player of the Year Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, OH/Miami Trace) Martin ended the drought with a layup that made the score 56-39 with 6:46 scored 19 points apiece for the repeat champion Red Flash. remaining.

"We played really hard from start to finish," said NEC Coach of the Year "We were thinking stops would keep us in the game, but we just lost focus on Susan Robinson Fruchtl. defense," said Alysha Womack, Monmouth's leading scorer.

The win gives Saint Francis (PA) a return trip to the NCAA Tournament and the Monmouth entered the game having won both regular season meetings against program's 11th conference crown. No other NEC program has won more the Red Flash, and were the lone road team to win in the Stokes Center this than four titles in the league's 25-year history. season, doing so on Jan. 17.

"Experience was huge for them," said Monmouth head coach Stephanie "We didn't harp on it, but we did lose to them twice this year, and we weren't Gaitley. "Those kids are used to being here." going to let it happen again" said Lilley. "You were watching two of the most emotional and energetic teams in our conference." Meanwhile, Monmouth, which won the NEC's inaugural tournament title back in 1987, was contesting its sixth NEC Championship Game, but first under Lilley, Leach, and Martin earned spots on the NEC's five-member All-Tourna- Stephanie V. Gaitley. The Hawks, who are in their third season with Gaitley ment team, joining Central Connecticut's Justina Udenze (Hamden, CT/Hamden) at the helm, start a trio of sophomores making their national television debuts and Robert Morris' Yohanna Morton (Santo Domingo, DR). on ESPNU. "Fortunately, this [loss] won't sit with us long because we'll get to go play in the Center Abby Martin (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) is one of those second- WNIT," said Gaitley. "We're proud to represent the conference in the WNIT." year Hawks, but looked more like a grizzled veteran during the postseason. Martin finished with 19 points and eight rebounds on her way to a spot on the All-Tournament. The New Jersey native averaged 19.7 points and 8.7 re- 2011 NEC Women’s Basketball Tournament bounds over the three-game sample. presented by Ruby Tuesday Playing a near-perfect game at point guard, Lilley became only the 10th Saturday, March 5 woman in NEC Tournament history to record 10 assists in a single game. The NEC Tournament Quarterfinals (Higher Seed Sites) second team all-NEC selection, who moved from the wing to the point this #1 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 72, #8 FDU 59 past offseason, keyed a late first-half run that gave the hosts a 12-point edge #2 MONMOUTH 58, #7 QUINNIPIAC 39 at the break. #6 CCSU 54, #3 SACRED HEART 49 #4 ROBERT MORRIS 78, #5 LONG ISLAND 72 "It all started with Brittany Lilley here," said Robinson Fruchtl of the converted Tuesday, March 8 point guard who played her first two seasons on the wing. "I think she's NEC Tournament Semifinals (Higher Seed Sites) learned a lot. Sometimes it's hard to step in and I think she just grew from the #2 MONMOUTH 65, #4 ROBERT MORRIS 62 beginning of the season to the end and she's playing her best basketball at the #1 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 68, #6 CCSU 62 right time. Sunday, March 13 The Red Flash shot 50 percent from the field during the first half, ending on NEC Championship (Highest Remaining Seed) a 7-0 spurt to take a 36-24 lead. #1 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 72, #2 MONMOUTH 57

Lilley assisted on all three field goals - two layups by Shene Fleming sand- 2011 NEC All-Tournament Team wiched around a three-pointer by Leach -- during the surge. Brittany Lilley (Jr., PG), SFPA - Tournament MVP Samantha Leach (Sr., G), SFPA Monmouth opened the second half with a bounce in its step, outscoring the Abby Martin (So. F), MON Flash 12-4 over the first 5:16. Sophomore Alysha Womack (Springfield, Justina Udenze (Sr., F), CCSU PA/O'Hara) hit a consecutive three-pointers to bring the Hawks within four. Yohanna Morton (Sr. PG), RMU #13 Saint Francis (PA) Dancin’ Since 1994 (22-11, 14-4 NEC) Since 1994, the winner of the Northeast Conference Women’s Bas- ketball Tournament has received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tour- nament field. Mount St. Mary’s acquired the NEC’s first-ever auto  Saint Francis (PA) makes it second consecutive trip to the NCAA berth by downing Saint Francis (PA) in the 1994 final. Earning a No. 14 Tournament. The Flash earned a No. 15 seed in 2010 and fell to No. 2 Ohio seed in the Field of 64, the Mount took on No. 3 Iowa in a NCAA First State, 93-59, in a NCAA First Round game in Pittsburgh.  Sunday’s NCAA game will mark a homecoming of sorts for Red Flash Round matchup. The Mount went dancing again in 1995 after dealing junior PG Brittany Lilley. The NEC assists leader hails from Severna Park, MD. SFPA another title game defeat. The Saint Francis Red Flash finally With seven points against Maryland, Lilley can become the 21st player in SFPA climbed the Mount in 1996. Denying Mount St. Mary’s a three-peat, history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. the Flash defeated their pestering rival, 83-75 to clinch the program’s  The Red Flash downed Monmouth, 72-57, in the 2011 NEC Champi- first-ever NCAA berth. In all, Saint Francis has been the NEC’s NCAA onship Game presented by Ruby Tuesday and captured the 11th NCAA berth in auto bid recipient a league-record 11 times. program history. No other NEC member has made more than four trips to the Big Dance. NEC in The NCAA Tournament  Saint Francis (PA) ranks 81st in overall RPI amongst the 343 NCAA The NEC has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game in 16 tries thus far. Division I teams. The Flash are currently the highest-ranked NEC team in what The league’s best showing came in 2009 when Sacred Heart battled has been a banner year for the league. In the conference-by-conference rankings, Ohio State to a 77-63 decision in Columbus. Saint Francis (PA) had its the NEC sits 18th in the nation, ahead of regional peers such as Patriot League, best showing in 2003 when the Flash lost to Villanova by 15, 51-36. MAAC, MEAC, America East, and Ivy League.  Saint Francis leads the NEC in scoring offense (68.8 ppg), assists 1994 #3 Iowa defeated #14 Mount St. Mary’s, 70-47 (15.1 apg), and steals (10.1 spg). The Flash rank second amongst league leaders 1995 #4 Alabama defeated #13 Mount St. Mary’s, 82-55 in both FG percentage (.408) and 3FG percentage (.347). 1996 #2 Georgia defeated #15 St. Francis (PA), 98-66  Red Flash head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl recently added the 1997 #2 Alabama defeated #15 St. Francis (PA), 94-50 NEC Coach of the Year award to her brilliant basketball resume. A former All- 1998 #1 Old Dominion defeated #16 St. Francis (PA), 92-39 American player for Penn State, Robinson won the 1991 Wade Trophy. 1999 #1 Connecticut defeated #16 St. Francis (PA), 97-46 2000 #3 Iowa State defeated #14 St. Francis (PA), 92-63  Saint Francis (PA) has won a record 11 NEC titles, seven more than the 2001 #1 Connecticut defeated #16 Long Island, 101-29 next-highest total (Robert Morris - 4). 2002 #1 Connecticut defeated #16 St. Francis (PA), 86-37  Three Red Flash scorers average in excess of 11.0 ppg - Samantha 2003 #2 Villanova defeated #15 St. Francis (PA), 51-36 Leach (17.6), Brittany Lilley (12.9), and Allison Daly (11.2). 2004 #2 Purdue defeated #15 St. Francis (PA), 78-59  Senior guard Samantha Leach and junior point guard Brittany Lilley 2005 #3 Minnesota defeated #14 St. Francis (PA), 64-33 earned their way onto the five-member 2011 NEC All-Tournament Team. Taking 2006 #2 Maryland defeated #15 Sacred Heart, 95-54 Tournament MVP honors, Lilley averaged 19.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.0 re- 2007 #4 N.C. State defeated #13 Robert Morris, 84-52 bounds over the three-game span. Lilley also made the NEC All-Tournament Team 2008 #2 Rutgers defeated #15 Robert Morris, 85-42 as a freshman in 2009. Leach averaged 20.0 ppg in the 2011 Tournament. 2009 #3 Ohio State defeated #14 Sacred Heart, 77-63  Senior guard Allison Daly, who owns the NEC Tournament single- 2010 #2 Ohio State defeated #15 Saint Francis (PA), 93-59 game record for three-pointers (8), has hit a NEC-high 71 triples this season. She converts at a 38.4 percent success rate from downtown (7th in NEC).  NEC Player of the Year Samantha Leach is averaging a league-high 17.6 Robinson Fructhl Sparks Red Flash Revival ppg. She ranks second amongst league leaders in both free throw percentage Saint Francis (PA), which had developed into a NEC dynasty from 1996 (.881) and three-point FG percentage (.435). Leach has accounted for a confer- to 2005, had fallen on tough times. The Flash had failed to finish ence-best 11 20-point performances this year, two of which came in wins over Pitt amongst the top-eight NEC teams in back-to-back years (2006, 2007) and Kent State. Leach poured in 25 points in the 2011 NEC Tournament semifinal and it was time for a change at SFPA. Looking up the road to State round against CCSU and scored 19 points against Monmouth in the title tilt. College, the SFPA administration turned to former Penn State playing  Moving over to PG to fill the void left by Britney Hodges’ (2010 NEC great, and then-assistant coach, Susan Robinson Fruchtl to take over a Tournament MVP) graduation, Brittany Lilley earned second team all-league hon- struggling program and return it to prominence. If last year's tourna- ors and leads the conference in assists (5.34 apg). ment title wasn't enough, then this year's regular season crown and  A local product from Altoona, who went to high school only miles tournament repeat provide even more evidence that the head coach has away from Saint Francis’ campus, freshman Alexandra Williams has provided been more than successful in restoring Red Flash women's basketball. quite a spark off the bench this season. The 2011 NEC All-Rookie Team member The team, which had won nine NEC titles in 10 seasons (1996-2005), is averaging 8.6 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Williams' 29 points in a win over Kent State had won a total of 11 games in the two seasons prior to her arrival. After account for the highest single-game scoring output by an NEC rookie this season. her first season at the helm yielded only six wins, Robinson Fruchtl and  Samantha Leach does more than just score at an NEC-leading pace. the Flash are enjoying a 22-win season in Year No. 4. The Saint Francis (PA) senior is also one of the league's top scholar-athletes. The 5-foot-10 senior earned a spot on the five-member 2010-11 Capital One Aca- The Leach Leader demic All-District II® Women's Basketball First Team, which was selected by the Samantha Leach (Mount Sterling, OH/Miami Trace) spent each of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  The Red Flash made their 13th overall, and second straight, visit to the last two seasons on the All-NEC Second Team before moving up in a big NEC Championship Game on March 13. The first 11 trips came between the way during her senior campaign. The 5-foot-10 guard became the fifth years of 1994 and 2005. different player in program history to capture the NEC's highest individual  After winning a fourth consecutive league crown in 2005, the Red honor, joining Stacy Alexander (1995), Mary Markey (1997), NEC Hall of Flash failed to qualify for the eight-team NEC Tournament bracket in each of the Famer Jess Zinobile (1998, 2000), and Beth Swink (2004). Leach took the three ensuing seasons. The Flash finally returned to the postseason in 2009, NEC scoring lead in November and held it all the way through Saint which was Susan Robinson Fruchtl’s second year at the helm. Francis' first-place regular season finish. Helping fill the void left behind  Saint Francis’ won 14 of 15 home games this season, including three when last year's leading scorer Britney Hodges graduated, Leach enjoyed NEC Tournament contests. The Flash’s only loss in the Stokes Center came at the her first career 500-plus point season as a result of averaging 17.6 points hands of Monmouth, 75-68, on Jan. 17. per contest. She made more field goals (202) than any other NEC player  The Flash opened the 2010-11 season by competing in the Preseason and ranks fourth amongst league leaders in three-pointers made (60). The WNIT. After dropping road games to Toledo (MAC) and James Madison (CAA), veteran shooting guard, who isn't afraid to take it to the hoop, averaged Saint Francis posted its first win of the season by beating Iona (MAAC) in a 20.0 ppg during the 2011 NEC Tournament en-route to her first career neutral site WNIT contest played at JMU. All-Tournament Team honor. Northeast Conference NEC Notebook 2010-11 League Leaders (Overall) Team Scoring Offense Individual Scoring NEC’s Postseason Participants Saint Francis (PA), 68.8 ppg Sam Leach (SFPA), 17.6 ppg Saint Francis (PA) isn't the lone Northeast Conference member to earn a postseason berth. NEC Tournament runner-up Monmouth took the NEC's Team Scoring Defense Individual Rebounding automatic bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), while Monmouth, 55.0 ppg Artemis Spanou (RMU), 9.6 rpg Sacred Heart received an invite into the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). Team Scoring Margin Individual FG Pct. The Hawks have drawn Big East member Syracuse in the 2011 WNIT First Round Monmouth, +5.6 ppg Kelly Clark (WAG), .545 with tip-off scheduled for March 17 in the Carrier Dome.

Team Rebounding Margin Individual Free Throw Pct. Monmouth, which tied a program record with 23 wins this season, will become Long Island, +5.1/g Callan Taylor (SHU), .883 (83-94) the fifth NEC team to contest a WNIT postseason affair. The postseason ap- pearance will be the program's first since making the 1983 NCAA Tournament. Team FG Pct. Individual Assists Although Syracuse faced both NEC members Saint Francis (PA) and Long Is- Robert Morris, .410 Brittany Lilley (SFPA), 5.34 apg land this year, the meeting with Monmouth will be the first all-time. Team FG Pct. Defense Individual Steals Central Conn. St., .346 Selinna Mann (MSM), 3.17 spg Meanwhile, Sacred Heart, which has never finished lower than third place in the NEC standings since joining the league in 1999, becomes the conference's first- Team Free Throw Pct. Individual 3-point FG Pct. ever representative in the WBI, which was created in 2010. The Pioneers will Mount St. Mary’s, .726 Samantha Leach (SFPA), .429 open play in the 16-team bracket by traveling to MAAC member Manhattan on March 17. The Pioneers went a perfect 2-0 against teams from the MAAC this Team 3-point FG Pct. Individual Blocks season, defeating both St. Peter’s and Siena. Mount St. Mary’s, .355 Esther Wallace (FDU), 2.50 bpg

Team Turnover Margin Individual Assist-TO Ratio The winner of Sacred Heart and Manhattan will take to the road to face-off Sacred Heart, +2.73/g Ericka Norman (SHU), 1.22 against either Wright State or Buffalo.

Saint Francis (PA) Storylines Saint Francis’ Lilley Blossoms at the Point Saint Francis lost more than just a 1,000-point scorer and NEC Tournament MVP when Britney Hodges graduated last May. The defending NEC champion Red Flash lost their point guard. As it turns out, head coach Susan Robinson Northeast Conference Fruchtl didn't need to go far to find Hodges' replacement. Junior guard Brittany 2009-10 League Leaders (Overall) Lilley (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park) moved over into the point guard Team Scoring Offense Individual Scoring position and has quickly become a formidable floor general. Lilley, who aver- Saint Francis (PA), 68.7 ppg Britney Hodges (SFPA), 17.7 ppg aged 9.1 points and 2.0 assists over 25 appearances last season, improved in nearly every statistical category on the way to securing second team all-NEC Team Scoring Defense Individual Rebounding honors. The 5-foot-8 Marylander morphed into a top-tier point guard, leading Robert Morris, 57.1 ppg Callan Taylor (SHU), 9.4 rpg the NEC in assists (5.19 apg) and ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12). Her 12.7 points per game average ranks second on the team and seventh on the Team Scoring Margin Individual FG Pct. NEC leader board. Robert Morris, +9.3 ppg Mary Durojaye (RMU), .577 (97-168)

Team Rebounding Margin Individual Free Throw Pct. SFPA Enjoys Scoring Surge during Fruchtl's Reign Long Island, +5.1/g Ashley Olsen, .871 (61-70) Susan Robinson Frutchl has restored the winning tradition at Saint Francis (PA) and has built the NEC's top scoring offense while doing so. The defending NEC Team FG Pct. Individual Assists champion Red Flash became the first NEC team in three seasons to reach triple Robert Morris, .440 Kiara Evans (LIU), 6.44 apg digits on the scoreboard. The Red Flash's 101-92 win over Kent State marked the highest scoring output by an NEC team since Quinnipiac put up 109 points Team FG Pct. Defense Individual Steals against Mount St. Mary's on January 14, 2008. Although they didn't hit the Robert Morris, .362 Angela Pace (RMU), 2.66 spg century mark, the Red Flash were responsible for the NEC's single-game scoring Team Free Throw Pct. Individual 3-point FG Pct. highs in each of the past two seasons. Saint Francis scored 94 points in a win Sacred Heart, .729 Maggie Cosgrove (SHU), .455 (76-167) over Youngstown State (Dec. 17, 2009) last year after the team's 97 points against St. Francis (NY) (Dec. 6, 2008) accounted for the league high during the Team 3-point FG Pct. Individual Blocks 2008-09 campaign. Having produced the fifth-highest scoring output in pro- Sacred Heart, .381 Anna Galite (RMU), 1.79 bpg gram history with their 101 points against Kent, the Flash finished the regular Team Turnover Margin Individual Assist-TO Ratio season atop the NEC rankings in scoring offense (68.6 ppg) for a second straight Saint Francis (PA), +3.12/g Angela Pace (RMU), 2.36 season. Saint Francis averaged a NEC-high 68.7 points per contest during last year's league championship run that resulted in the program's 10th NCAA ap- pearance. NEC Notebook 2010-11 Northeast Conference vs... Non-Conference Highlight America East 12-7 Mid-American 1-3 It’s RP-High as NEC Teams Get Best of Three BCS Opponents ACC 1-4 MEAC 6-3 Robert Morris' 66-52 victory over Virginia Tech finished what Sacred Heart and Saint Atlantic Sun 2-0 Missouri Valley 0-0 Francis (PA) got started. By defeating an ACC member, RMU marked a Northeast Confer- Atlantic 10 1-7 Mountain West 1-0 ence first. Prior to the current campaign, NEC teams had not posted wins over represen- Big East 1-11 NAIA 0-0 tatives from three different BCS conferences in the same season. Thus far, the 2010-11 Big Sky 0-1 Ohio Valley 0-0 schedule has produced victories over members from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Big South 0-0 Pac 10 0-1 East, and Southeastern Conference. Furthermore, all three victories have come by double- Big Ten 0-0 Patriot 8-13 digit margins. Sacred Heart stunned Auburn (SEC), 65-53, in the Bahamas on Nov. 26 Big 12 0-0 SEC 1-2 before Saint Francis (PA) downed Pittsburgh (Big East), 85-71, on Dec. 1 in the Stokes Big West 0-0 Southern 0-1 Center. In the conference-by-conference standings on CollegeRPI.com, the Northeast Colonial 1-4 Southland 2-0 Conference ranks 18th amongst 32 Division I leagues. Regionally, the NEC ranks ahead Conference USA 0-0 Summit 1-0 of a host of peer conferences - Patriot League, MAAC, MEAC, Ivy League, and America Division II 0-0 SWAC 0-0 East. Saint Francis (PA) (No. 81) owns the highest team ranking of any NEC member. Division III 0-0 Sun Belt 0-0 Great West 2-0 WCC 1-0 NEC in NCAA History Horizon 0-0 WAC 1-0 Flash Dancing Again Independent 1-1 What was a routine ritual during all but one season between 1996 and 2005 is becoming Ivy 9-7 the norm again at Saint Francis (PA). The two-time reigning Northeast Conference champion MAAC 10-4 Overall 62-69 Red Flash are headed back to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament for a league- record 11th time.

Saint Francis (PA), which defeated Monmouth in the 25th annual NEC Championship Game presented by Ruby Tuesday on March 13, enters the national championship bracket as a No. NEC Champions Year-by-Year 13 seed and will face No. 4 seed Maryland in the NCAA First Round on March 20. 2010-11 Saint Francis (PA) The game will tip off at 12:20 pm from College Park and can be seen live on ESPN2. 2009-10 Saint Francis (PA)

The No. 13 seeding matches the highest ever for an NEC champion, which began receiving 2008-09 Sacred Heart an automatic bid to the Big Dance in 1994. It is the fourth time (1995, 2005, 2007, 2011) 2007-08 Robert Morris an NEC team has been seeded in the 13th slot with Saint Francis (PA) accounting for two of those occasions (2005, 2011). 2006-07 Robert Morris 2005-06 Sacred Heart Saint Francis (PA) had its best NCAA showing in 2000, NEC Hall of Famer Jess Zinobile’s senior season. Seeded 14th, the Red Flash lost to Villanova, 51-36, in what was the smallest 2004-05 Saint Francis (PA) margin of defeat for an NEC team in the NCAAs until Sacred Heart battled Ohio State to a 77- 63 score in the 2009 NCAA First Round on March 21 in Columbus. 2003-04 Saint Francis (PA) 2002-03 Saint Francis (PA) The Northeast Conference, which ascended up to 18th in the national conference-by- conference RPI rankings this season, is still searching for its first postseason victory. Mount 2001-02 Saint Francis (PA) St. Mary’s captured the NEC’s inaugural automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament back in 2000-01 Long Island 1994. The Mountaineers, coached by the late Bill Sheahan, earned a No. 14 seed and fell to No. 3 Iowa. One year after Mount captured the conference’s inaugural NCAA bid, the 1999-00 Saint Francis (PA) Mountaineers returned to the tournament as a No. 13 seed and earned a date with No. 4 Alabama. 1998-99 Saint Francis (PA) 1997-98 Saint Francis (PA) March 21, 2010 (Dayton Regional) - #2 Ohio State 93, #15 Saint Francis (PA) 59 March 21, 2009 (Berkeley Regional) - #3 Ohio State 77, #14 Sacred Heart 63 1996-97 Saint Francis (PA) March 22, 2008 (Greensboro Regional) - #2 Rutgers 85, #15 Robert Morris 42 1995-96 Saint Francis (PA) March 18, 2007 (Fresno Regional) - #4 NC State 84, #13 Robert Morris 52 March 19, 2006 (Albuquerque Region) - #2 Maryland 95, #15 Sacred Heart 54 1994-95 Mount St. Mary's March 19, 2005 (Tempe Region) - #3 Minnesota 64, #14 St. Francis (PA) 33 1993-94 Mount St. Mary's March 21, 2004 (West Region) - #2 Purdue 78, #15 St. Francis (PA) 59 March 23, 2003 (Mideast Region) - #2 Villanova 51, #15 St. Francis (PA) 36 1992-93 Mount St. Mary's March 16, 2002 (Mideast Region) - #1 Connecticut 86, #16 St. Francis (PA) 37 1991-92 Fairleigh Dickinson March 17, 2001 (East Region) - #1 Connecticut 101, #16 Long Island 29 March 17, 2000 (Midwest Region) - #3 Iowa State 92, #14 St. Francis (PA) 63 1990-91 Robert Morris March 12, 1999 (East Region) - #1 Connecticut 97, #16 St. Francis (PA) 46 1989-90 Fairleigh Dickinson March 13, 1998 (East Region) - #1 Old Dominion 92, #16 St. Francis (PA) 39 March 14, 1997 (East Region) - #2 Alabama 94, #15 St. Francis (PA) 50 1988-89 Wagner March 15, 1996 (Midwest Region) - #2 Georgia 98, #15 St. Francis (PA) 66 1987-88 Robert Morris March 16, 1995 (East Region) - #4 Alabama 82, #13 Mount St. Mary’s 55 1986-87 Monmouth March 16, 1994 (Midwest Region) - #3 Iowa 70, #14 Mount St. Mary’s 47 2010-11 NEC Women’s Basketball Schedule Schedule Subject To Change. All times are local.

Bryant Central Connecticut State Fairleigh Dickinson (10-19, 7-11 NEC) (19-11, 11-7 NEC) (14-16, 7-11 NEC) N 13 at Princeton L, 78-37 N 12 at Pennsylvania L, 70-59 N 12 Hartford W, 46-41 N 16 at Columbia W, 61-50 N 17 Brown W, 52-44 N 14 at Lafayette L, 84-80 (OT) N 20 Army W, 52-43 N 19 Maine L, 74-66 N 23 at Maine W, 62-57 N 23 Fordham L, 62-56 N 23 at Brown L, 57-49 N 27 at Siena W, 57-48 (OT) N 29 Rider W, 77-50 N 28 Dartmouth L, 75-72 (OT) D 1 at Holy Cross W, 68-65 (OT) D 3-4 at Air Force Tournament D 5 at Rutgers L, 73-32 D 2 at Stony Brook L, 66-51 D 3 at Air Force W, 79-74 D 9 at MONMOUTH L, 56-43 D 4 at Lafayette L, 51-37 D 4 vs. Weber St. L, 51-49 D 19 New Hampshire W, 61-48 D 6 at Yale W, 59-57 D 9 at Fairleigh Dickinson L, 58-48 D 22 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON L, 51-46 D 9 BRYANT W, 58-48 D 11 Colgate W, 77-70 D 29-31 at St. Peter’s Holiday Classic D 12 at Saint Peter’s W, 69-63 D 19 Holy Cross W, 59-47 D 29 vs. Samford L, 76-57 D 22 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE W, 51-46 D 30 at Syracuse L, 90-31 D 31 at Saint Peter’s W, 78-66 D 30 at Howard W, 45-44 J 3 at Army L, 66-55 J 2 at #6 West Virginia l, 63-37 J 3 New Jersey Tech W, 59-41 J 5 at MONMOUTH L, 57-39 J 8 LONG ISLAND L, 63-51 J 7 SACRED HEART L, 65-39 J 8 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 59-48 J 10 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 53-33 J 10 QUINNIPIAC W, 55-52 J 10 LONG ISLAND W, 45-44 J 15 at QUINNIPIAC L, 76-75 J 15 at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 73-70 (OT) J 15 at SACRED HEART L, 54-44 J 17 at SACRED HEART W, 65-62 J 17 at ROBERT MORRIS L, 67-53 J 22 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 57-29 J 17 at QUINNIPIAC L, 85-74 J 22 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 57-29 J 24 MONMOUTH W, 48-45 J 22 MONMOUTH L, 62-42 J 24 at BRYANT L, 62-58 J 24 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 62-58 J 29 WAGNER W, 65-52 J 29 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 69-49 J 29 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 79-76 (OT) J 31 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 57-49 J 31 LONG ISLAND L, 68-49 J 31 WAGNER W, 61-51 F 5 at ROBERT MORRIS L, 54-51 F 5 at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 73-59 F 7 at SAINT. FRANCIS (PA) L, 68-51 F 5 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S L, 83-76 F 7 at ROBERT MORRIS L, 64-45 F 12 at BRYANT W, 78-70 F 7 at WAGNER W, 83-71 F 12 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 78-70 F 14 BRYANT W, 61-53 F 12 MONMOUTH L, 59-54 F 14 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 61-53 F 19 QUINNIPIAC W, 61-58 F 14 at MONMOUTH L, 67-48 F 19 SACRED HEART L, 74-54 F 21 SACRED HEART L, 71-55 F 19 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) W, 62-58 F 21 QUINNIPIAC L, 81-67 F 26 at LONG ISLAND W, 68-62 F 21 ROBERT MORRIS W, 79-76 F 26 at SAINT FRANCIS (NY) W, 53-49 F 28 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 57-54 F 26 at QUINNIPIAC L, 75-56 F 28 at LONG ISLAND W, 65-56 M 5 at #3 Sacred Heart W, 54-49 F 28 at SACRED HEART L, 65-59 M 8 at #1 Saint Francis (PA) L, 68-62 M 5 at #1 Saint Francis (PA) L, 72-59

Northeast Conference Games in CAPS Northeast Conference Games in CAPS Northeast Conference Games in CAPS

Long Island Monmouth Mount St. Mary’s (19-11, 11-7 NEC) (23-10, 13-5 NEC) (8-21, 5-13 NEC)

N 12 at Columbia W, 73-60 N 13 at #21 Maryland L, 73-40 N 14 at Virginia L, 81-58 N 17 Lafayette W, 64-59 N 18 at Saint Peter’s W, 74-50 N 17 American L, 61-34 N 22 at Syracuse L, 90-36 N 21 at Marquette L, 56-41 N 20 Maryland-Eastern Shore W, 65-56 N 26-27 at LIU Turkey Classic N 24 Longwood W, 76-60 N 23 at Cincinnati L, 67-47 N 26 vs.McNeese State W, 71-56 N 26 Lafayette W, 68-54 D 1 Towson L, 66-48 N 27 vs. Boston University W, 71-59 N 30 at Stony Brook W, 74-60 D 4 at Pittburgh L, 66-30 D 1 Howard L, 59-51 D 5 Columbia W, 67-64 D 8 at Navy L, 63-46 D 9 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE W, 56-43 D 5 ROBERT MORRIS L, 62-50 D 11 at Loyola L, 74-58 D 11 at Fordham W, 55-44 D 8 at Maryland-Eastern Shore L, 58-56 (OT) D 18 Binghamton L, 53-39 D 18 James Madison W, 69-99 D 20 at SACRED HEART L, 76-51 D 11 at Delaware State W, 67-57 D 30-31 at Hawk Holiday Classic D 19 Stony Brook W, 59-43 D 29 at San Jose State W, 72-69 D 30 Brown L, 75-71 D 31 at San Francisco W, 79-77 (OT) D 30 at Jacksonville W, 69-59 D 31 Binghamton W, 60-51 D 31 at North Florida W, 58-40 J 4 at QUINNIPIAC L, 77-65 J 5 BRYANT W, 57-39 J 8 ROBERT MORRIS L, 74-56 J 4 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 63-60 J 7 QUINNIPIAC L, 60-57 J 10 SAINT FRANCIS (PA.) L, 75-62 J 8 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT W, 63-51 J 10 SACRED HEART W, 55-37 J 15 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 79-39 J 10 at BRYANT L, 45-44 J 15 at ROBERT MORRIS L, 69-56 J 17 at LONG ISLAND L, 63-60 J 15 WAGNER W, 67-50 J 17 at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) W, 75-68 J 22 at BRYANT W, 62-42 J 22 QUINNIPIAC L, 74-60 J 17 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 63-60 J 24 SACRED HEART L, 55-46 J 22 at SAINT FRANICS (PA) L, 69-56 J 24 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 48-45 J 29 LONG ISLAND W, 74-52 J 29 at BRYANT L, 79-76 (OT) J 24 at ROBERT MORRIS W, 65-61 J 31 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 57-49 J 29 at MONMOUTH L, 74-52 J 31 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 64-44 F 5 at WAGNER L, 67-50 F 5 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 83-76 J 31 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 68-49 F 7 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S L, 51-45 F 7 MONMOUTH W, 51-45 F 5 QUINNIPIAC W, 70-58 F 12 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 59-54 F 12 at WAGNER L, 65-54 F 7 SACRED HEART W, 77-59 F 14 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 67-48 F 14 WAGNER W, 59-41 F 12 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 70-58 F 19 ROBERT MORRIS W, 64-55 F 19 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 66-49 F 14 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 64-41 F 21 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) W, 60-51 F 21 LONG ISLAND L, 65-61 F 19 at WAGNER W, 61-57 F 26 at SACRED HEART W, 59-54 F 26 at ROBERT MORRIS L, 74-61 F 21 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 65-61 F 28 at QUINNIPIAC W, 62-56 F 28 at SAINT FRANICS (PA) L, 62-61 (OT) F 26 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 68-62 M 5 #7 Quinnipiac W, 59-38 F 28 BRYANT L, 65-56 M 8 #4 Robert Morris W, 65-62 M 5 at #4 Robert Morris L, 78-72 M 13 at #1 Saint Francis (PA) L, 72-57 Northeast Conference Games in CAPS Northeast Conference Games in CAPS Northeast Conference Games in CAPS 2010-11 NEC Women’s Basketball Schedule Schedule Subject To Change. All times are local.

Quinnipiac Robert Morris Sacred Heart (14-16, 11-7 NEC) (16-14, 12-6 NEC) (18-13, 12-6 NEC)

N 12 at Fairfield L, 65-48 N 14 Lehigh L, 72-64 N 12 Saint Peter’s W. 65-48 N 17 Holy Cross L, 72-60 N 17 at North Carolina L, 76-47 N 16 Saint Joseph’s L, 67-49 N 21 at Saint Bonaventure L, 66-47 N 21 at Cincinnati L, 65-50 N 22 at Hartford L, 62-53 N 26-28 at Vanderbilt Tournament N 23 at Akron L, 88-60 N 26-27 at Travelers Junkanoo Jam - Bahamas N 26 at #24 Vanderbilt L, 111-53 N 28 Duquesne L, 61-34 N 26 vs. Auburn W, 65-53 N 28 vs. Southern Cal L, 78-59 D 2 at SAINT FRANCIS (NY) W, 72-36 N 27 vs. Boston College L, 83-47 D 1 Vermont W, 76-67 D 1 Albany W, 61-52 D 4 WAGNER W, 85-72 D 5 at LONG ISLAND W, 62-50 D 5 at #1Connecticut L, 86-32 D 11 Army W, 69-65 D 11 at Virginia Tech W, 66-52 D 20 at Yale L, 76-66 D 20-21 Gator Holiday Classic D 8 at Yale W, 70-69 D 22 at New Hampshire L, 75-63 D 20 vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi W, 73-47 D 12 Siena W, 72-33 D 28-29 Saint Joseph’s Tournament D 21 vs. Florida L, 70-50 D 20 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 76-51 D 28 vs. Lafayette L, 56-54 D 29 at Kent State L, 66-60 D 22 at Harvard W, 69-60 D 29 vs. Saint Joseph’s/New Hampshire W, 62-61 J 2 at Coppin State W, 55-51 D 28 Saint Bonaventure L, 62-54 J 4 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 77-65 J 8 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 74-56 J 3 WAGNER W, 70-52 J 7 at MONMOUTH W, 60-57 J 10 at WAGNER W, 62-56 J 7 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 65-39 J 10 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON L, 55-52 J 15 MONMOUTH W, 69-56 J 10 at MONMOUTH L, 55-37 J 15 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE W, 76-75 J 17 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 67-53 J 15 BRYANT W, 54-44 J 17 BRYANT W, 85-74 J 22 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 72-44 J 17 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 65-62 J 22 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 74-60 J 24 LONG ISLAND L, 65-61 J 22 at WAGNER L, 66-65 J 24 at WAGNER W, 77-62 J 29 at QUINNIPIAC W, 75-67 J 24 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 55-46 J 29 ROBERT MORRIS L, 75-67 J 31 at SACRED HEART L, 67-66 J 29 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) W, 64-61 J 31 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 77-64 F 5 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE W, 54-51 F 5 at LONG ISLAND L, 70-58 J 31 ROBERT MORRIS W, 67-66 F 7 BRYANT W, 64-45 F 7 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 56-52 F 5 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 73-45 F 12 at SACRED HEART W, 61-56 F 12 at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 84-66 F 7 at LONG ISLAND L, 77-59 F 14 SACRED HEART L, 66-54 F 14 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 81-73 F 12 QUINNIPIAC L, 61-56 F 19 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 61-58 F 19 at MONMOUTH L, 64-55 F 14 at QUINNIPIAC W, 66-54 F 21 at BRYANT W, 81-67 F 21 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON L, 79-76 F 19 at BRYANT W, 74-54 F 26 FAIRLEIIGH DICKINSON W, 75-56 F 26 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 74-61 F 21 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE W, 71-55 F 28 MONMOUTH L, 62-56 F 28 WAGNER W, 73-60 F 26 MONMOUTH L, 59-54 M 5 at #2 Monmouth L, 59-38 M 5 #5 Long Island W, 78-72 F 28 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 65-59 M 8 at #2 Monmouth L, 65-62 M 5 #6 Central Connecticut State L, 54-49 Northeast Conference Games in CAPS Northeast Conference Games in CAPS Northeast Conference Games in CAPS

St. Francis (NY) Saint Francis (PA) Wagner (2-27, 0-18 NEC) (22-11, 14-4 NEC) (12-17, 5-13 NEC) N 12 Manhattan L, 63-34 N 12-22 Preseason WNIT N 12 Army W, 52-48 (OT) N 16 Albany L, 49-43 N 12 at Toledo L, 71-66 N 16 at Towson L, 65-55 N 20 at Siena W, 64-61 N 23 at Lafayette L, 74-52 N 19-20 Preseason WNIT Consolation TBA N 23 Colgate L, 85-72 (OT) N 27 at Army L, 57-34 N 19 at James Madison L, 64-49 N 27 Albany L, 62-43 D 2 ROBERT MORRIS L, 72-36 N 20 vs. Iona W, 77-69 D 2 at Columbia W, 69-50 D 5 at Colgate L, 69-51 N 23 at Delaware L, 68-52 D 4 at QUINNIPIAC L, 85-72 D 12 IUPUI W, 63-55 N 28 Coppin State W, 77-67 D 7 NJIT W, 71-55 D 19 at Fairfield L, 64-50 D 1 Pittsburgh W, 85-71 D 11 at Lehigh L, 76-58 D 22 Delaware State L, 62-41 D 4 Kent State W, 101-92 D 19 at UMass L, 72-69 D 16 at Howard W, 67-55 D 29 Pennsylvania L, 66-38 D 21 at Saint Peter’s W, 74-64 D 18 at #7 West Virginia L, 83-55 D 31 Stony Brook W, 57-54 D 29-30 Dartmouth Invitational D 22 at Duquesne L, 84-69 D 29 vs. Vermont W, 68-40 J 2 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 66-54 D 28 at Syracuse L, 94-60 D 30 at Dartmouth W, 69-52 J 8 at BRYANT L, 59-48 J 2 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 66-54 J 3 at SACRED HEART L, 70-52 J 10 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 53-33 J 4 at LONG ISLAND W, 63-60 J 8 at WAGNER W, 65-63 J 8 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 65-63 J 15 MOUNT ST. MARY’S L, 79-39 J 10 ROBERT MORRIS L, 62-56 J 17 WAGNER L, 73-59 J 10 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 75-62 J 15 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W, 73-70 (OT) J 15 at LONG ISLAND L, 67-50 J 19 at Columbia L, 75-65 J 17 MONMOUTH L, 75-68 J 17 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 73-59 J 22 at ROBERT MORRIS L, 72-44 J 22 LONG ISLAND W, 69-56 J 22 SACRED HEART W, 66-65 J 24 at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) L, 72-60 J 24 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W, 72-60 J 24 QUINNIPIAC L, 77-62 J 29 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON L, 69-49 J 29 at SACRED HEART L, 64-61 J 29 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 65-52 J 31 at MONMOUTH L, 64-44 J 31 at QUINNIPIAC W, 77-64 J 31 at BRYANT L, 61-51 F 5 SACRED HEART L, 73-45 F 5 BRYANT W, 73-59 F 5 MONMOUTH W, 67-50 F 7 QUINNIPIAC L, 56-52 F 7 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE W, 68-51 F 7 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON L, 83-71 F 12 ROBERT MORRIS W, 84-66 F 12 LONG ISLAND L, 70-58 F 12 MOUNT ST. MARY'S W, 65-54 F 14 at ROBERT MORRIS W, 81-73 F 14 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S L, 59-41 F 14 at LONG ISLAND L, 64-41 F 19 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON L, 62-58 F 19 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S L, 66-49 F 19 LONG ISLAND L, 61-57 F 21 at MONMOUTH L, 60-51 F 21 ST, FRANCIS (NY) W, 76-69 F 21 at WAGNER L, 76-69 F 26 WAGNER W, 79-69 F 26 at SAINT FRANICS (PA) L, 79-69 F 28 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W, 62-61 (OT) F 26 BRYANT L, 53-49 F 28 at ROBERT MORRIS L, 74-61 F 28 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE L, 57-54 M 5 #8 Fairleigh Dickinson W, 72-59 M 8 #6 Central Connecticut State W, 68-62 M 13 #2 Monmouth W, 72-57 Northeast Conference Games in CAPS Northeast Conference Games in CAPS The Tribune Democrat - Johnstown, PA

March 14, 2011 No. 13 St. Francis paired with No. 4 Maryland Phillip Petrunak For The Tribune-Democrat EBENSBURG — After earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the only question left unanswered for the St. Francis women’s basketball team was when, where, and who the Red Flash would play in the first round of the big dance.

St. Francis players, coaches, and fans filled DeGol Arena Monday night for the second consecutive year and waited, for the second straight year, until the regional lineup was announced in the final minutes of ESPN’s women’s tournament selection special.

The 13th seeded Red Flash will travel to College Park Maryland on Sunday to take on fourth-seeded Maryland at 12:20 p.m. in the Philadelphia Regional.

The reaction in the arena was one of exuberance. Red Flash players and coaches viewed the NCAA’s decision as a sign of respect for what the team has accomplished this season. The Flash (22-11) punched their ticket to the dance with a 72-57 victory over Monmouth in the NEC championship on Sunday. The win marked the 11th time that the Flash have taken the conference crown and the second in a row.

“It does get a little nerve-racking,” St. Francis coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said. “For the second year in a row we’re in the last region to be announced, but we’ll take it, being in the East Region. We have two players from the state of Maryland. It’s close to home, and we’ll have a lot of fans down there and take a couple buses.

“It’s going to be an exciting week.”

It’s a trip home for junior guard Brittany Lilley of Severna Park, Md., who scored

19 points in the NEC championship.

“It feels great to be able to get into the tournament,” she said. “We’re ready for Maryland and they are definitely a beatable team, so we’ll be prepared this week and ready to give them our all.”

Their No. 13 seeding is two spots higher than last year, when the Flash lost as a 15th seed in the opening round to second-seeded Ohio State, 93-59.

“We want to continue to progress every year and get better every year,” Lilley said.

“I think winning both the regular season and the (NEC) tournament has helped us out. We had some good non-conference wins, and this being the second year in a row and being a little more veteran. It definitely helps us.”

Senior guard Samantha Leach said that just getting to the tournament is not the bottom line for this year’s team.

“Our goal all year was to get to this point, but you never want to be satisfied,” the NEC player of the year said. “We want to be the first team from the Northeast Conference to win a game in the tournament, and that’s our goal.”

Fruchtl, a fourth year coach who is also entering the NCAA tournament for a second time, said that her team’s experience is a key factor to both what it has accomplished and what its chances are against the Terrapins.

“I think that our kids are excited to go, but they won’t be in awe,” she said. “Maybe last year we were in a little bit of awe because of the whole situation, but hopefully that experience will help us relax more.”

St. Francis will play in the Philadelphia region, where the top-seeded team is Connecticut. NortheastConference.org Altoona Mirror - Altoona, PA Flash draw Terps

St. Francis women get 13 seed March 15, 2011 - By Nate Foreman, [email protected] LORETTO - St. Francis women’s basketball senior Allison Daly stuck around the NCAA Tournament selection show celebration at DeGol Arena just long enough Monday night to be introduced and present the 2011 Northeast Conference championship trophy with fellow captain Samantha Leach. Then she had to go to class. So when the pairing with Maryland was announced on ESPN’s telecast and the crowd erupted into a loud ovation, Daly wasn’t around. Assistant coach Kam Gissendanner texted the news to Daly and after her reaction in class, she was immediately excused to join her teammates. “I think I was sweating more being in class than actually being able to be here to watch it will all of my teammates,” Daly said. “When I got the text, I was just like, ‘Wow’ and my professor just said, ‘Go.’” It’s was a pretty good reason to react the way she did. The Red Flash will travel to College Park, Md. to play the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Terrapins as a No. 13 seed for Sunday’s first round game. It’s the fourth 13-seed the league has received in the Big Dance. “I think winning both the regular season and the tournament and our stength of schedule has helped us out,” St. Francis coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said. “I think it means progression and we want to continue to progress each and every year.” “Finally we got some respect and got bumped up to a 13-seed,” Leach said. “We’re on a high right now and hopefully we can continue that this week and into the game.” For junior point guard and NEC Tournament MVP Brittany Lilley, the feeling hit a little closer to home - literally. She gets to play in the national tournament about an hour from her hometown of Severna Park. “Words can’t really even express,” Lilley said while trying to gather her thoughts. “First of all, it feels great to even be able to get into the tournament. I know Kia [Gibbs], a teammate from Maryland also - we were ecstatic sitting over here. We couldn’t believe it. “Just to see that I’m going home, and some of us are going home make it that much better.” As was the case during last year’s selection show, St. Francis had to sweat out the wait until the last announced region, which also included the possibility of playing at Penn State. “It does get a little nerve-wracking,” Robinson Fruchtl said. “For the second year in a row, we were in the last region to be announced. We’ll take it. Being in the [Philadelphia] region. We’re very excited. It’s close to home. We can get a lot of fans down there.” Joining St. Francis and fourth-seeded Maryland in the sub-regional are fifth-seeded Georgetown and 12th-seeded Princeton. The top part of the Philadelphia region also includes Connecticut (No. 1 seed), Hartford (16), Kansas State (8) and Purdue (9).

NortheastConference.org The Tribune Democrat - Johnstown, PA

March 14, 2011 Red Flash claim NECtitle HUGH CONRAD [email protected] JOHNSTOWN — In the end, a championship game that looked close on paper turned into a blowout.

The St. Francis women’s basketball team asserted itself early and took control of the Northeast Conference championship game at the Stokes Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Flash built a 12-point halftime lead before overwhelming second-seeded Monmouth, 72-57, to claim their eleventh NEC tournament title and advance to the NCAA tournament for the 11th time in the past 16 years.

What made the matchup intriguing was that Monmouth had won both regular-season games against St. Francis, which could have been an incentive for the Red Flash, the top seed by virtue of a regular-season championship.

Fourth-year coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl has now won two consecutive NEC tournament titles, but this one was gratifying because her team played so well.

“I just thought that we played extremely well from start to finish,” Fruchtl said. “We got the shots that we really worked on all week and have been working on all through the tournament. The rebounding was a big thing. We had 16 offensive boards and held them to under 10. We held the turnovers down, which is something we didn’t do the last two games we played them.”

The numbers favored St. Francis when compared to the Feb. 21 battle with Monmouth, a 60-51 loss. Instead of 25 turnovers, they committed just nine.

Instead of Samantha Leach, the St. Francis senior who was the NEC Player of the Year, scoring six points, she scored 19.

Instead of going 3 for 10 in 3-pointers, the Red Flash hit 6 of 7 in the first half and 6 of 12 for the game.

The Red Flash came in with an attitude on Sunday, buoyed by vociferous student and adult cheering sections.

“We didn’t harp on it, but we did lose to them twice this year, and that was fuel to our fire,” said Brittany Lilley, who was named tournament MVP. “We’ve been talking about it forever, and we weren’t going to let it happen again.”

St. Francis came out on fire, hitting five of its first seven from the field as Allison Daly hit two early 3-pointers and Leach followed later with three of her own.

Monmouth cut the deficit to five at 29-24 with 3:14 left before halftime.

Then the Red Flash put together one of their runs, scoring the final seven points of the half to take a 36-24 lead.

Despite shooting 50 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, the Red Flash went cold to start the second half.

St. Francis hit just two of its first 16 shots from the field to start the second half.

Monmouth put together a 12-4 run, but the Hawks could get no closer than four points.

Monmouth coach Stephanie Gaitley talked about the Red Flash runs.

“We cut it to four, and Erin (Rooney) got a good look at a 3 but missed, and they regrouped,” Gaitley said. “That’s part of what’s made (St. Francis) so dangerous is because they go on runs.”

After Monmouth sophomore Alysha Womack hit a 3-pointer to narrow the Red Flash lead to 40-36 with 14:46 remaining in the game, St. Francis made a 16-1 run over the next eight minutes the NCAA tournament bid.

“For me personally, it means everything because this is my last go-around,” Leach said. “As a team, this has been our goal, to get (to the NCAA tourna- ment). We don’t want to be satisfied with just getting there; we want to take it to the next step and try to win.”

The Red Flash will learn who they will play on the selection show that will announce the pairings at 7 tonight on ESPN.

Red Flash fans can meet the team and watch the show starting at 6 at the Stokes Center.

Gaitley said that the difference in the game was St. Francis’ experience.

“Experience was huge for them,” Gaitley said. “Those kids are used to being there.”

Lilley had 19 points while Daly added 13 and Alli Williams 11. Lilley also had 10 assists.

Abby Martin and Alysha Womack each had 19 for Monmouth (23-9).

As MVP, Lilley was a member of the all-tournament team, as was Leach. The other members were Monmouth’s Martin, Justina Udenze of Central Connecticut and Yohanna Morton of Robert Morris. Altoona Mirror - Altoona, PA St. Francis women returning to the big dance March 14, 2011 - By Nate Foreman [email protected]

LORETTO - The St. Francis women’s basketball program has been the most dominant program in the Northeast Conference for the last 16 years. Sunday afternoon at DeGol Arena, the Red Flash played like the team to beat. Sparked by a solid performance on both ends of the floor, St. Francis won its second straight NEC championship and punched its 11th ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 72-57 victory over Monmouth. “I just thought we played extremely well from start to finish,” St. Francis coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said. “Just a tremendous effort. They played relaxed. They attacked. We played tremendous defense. The kids just executed the game plan extremely well.” “Monmouth’s a good team so we knew we had to come ready to play,” senior guard Samantha Leach said. “It was a great team effort.” Despite winning the regular-season championship, the Red Flash lost both meetings this season to the upstart Hawks. But in this case, as it was a year ago in the quarterfinals against the same team, the third time was the charm. “We didn’t harp on it, but we did lose to them twice this year and that was fuel to our fire,” junior point guard Brittany Lilley said. “We weren’t going to let it happen again.” And pretty much from the opening tip, St. Francis made sure to maintain control of the game. The Red Flash (22-11) were 6-of-7 from behind the arc in the first half to help build a 36-24 cushion at halftime. Allison Daly, in particular, had a quick start that got her team, as well as the raucous home crowd, fired up. She connected on all three of her field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, for nine first-half points. The senior finished with 13 points. “For us, when Alli Daly hits her first one, that gives us a lot of confidence,” Robinson Fruchtl said. “It really spreads the floor out and opens up driving lanes. Alli is our emotional leader. She gets fired up. She’s passionate and the passion shows.” The Hawks (23-9) opened the second half with a little bit of momentum, and even held St. Francis to 2-of-16 shooting in the same stretch. But Monmouth couldn’t completely capitalize and the Red Flash went off. “The rebounding edge was huge and we didn’t turn the ball over,” Robinson Fruchtl said of her team’s performance to start the second half. “We did not give them a lot of opportunities to catch up quickly. I don’t think we ever let them get in a rhythm.” St. Francis did get in a rhythm, though. NEC all-rookie team member Alli Williams scored six tough points as part of a 14-0 Red Flash run that broke the game wide open. She totaled 11 points and six rebounds. “When [Williams] came in the game, she really provided a big spark,” Robinson Fruchtl said of the freshman. “I thought she brought some fresh legs off the bench and really just ran by a lot of people.” “We cut it to four, but they regrouped,” Monmouth coach Stephanie Gaitley said. “That’s part of what has made St. Francis so dangerous. They go on runs. In order for us to come in this environment and beat them on their court, we’re going to need at least a B-plus game, and I don’t think we were anywhere close to that.” Lilley and Leach each scored 19 points and were both named to the all-tournament team. Lilley, who also had 10 assists, was tabbed as the tournament’s MVP. “Like Susan said before, I have to be an extension of her,” Lilley said. “And if I’m an extension of her on the court, then everything runs smoothly.” Abby Martin and Alysha Womack had 19 points apiece for Monmouth, while Defensive Player of the Year Erin Rooney added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Martin was named to the all-tourney team. “Experience was huge for [St. Francis],” Gaitley said. “Those kids were used to being there. I am extremely proud of my kids. Part of it is getting there and learning really how to deal with the experience.” As the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Monmouth receives an automatic bid to play in the WNIT. St. Francis, meanwhile, will have to wait until tonight’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show special to find out who its dancing partner will be. “It means everything because this is my last go-around,” Leach said of winning another conference championship and getting to go to the Big Dance again. “I know as a team, this was our goal to get here. We don’t want to be just satisfied with getting there, we want to take it to the next step and get a win.” “We have what it takes to beat a team in the tournament,” Lilley said. “Hopefully we can make that a tradition be the first one to beat a team in the tournament.” The Tribune Democrat - Johnstown, PA

March 12, 2011 Lilley’s move to point guard has St. Francisin title game By HUGH CONRAD For The Tribune-Democrat LORETTO — Susan Robinson Fruchtl knew that she would have to fill a key spot if her St. Francis Red Flash women’s basketball team was to return to the “Big Dance” in 2011.

Her senior star from last season, Northeast Conference Tournament MVP and first team all-NEC point guard Britney Hodges, the team’s leading scorer, had finished her career in a loss to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA women’s tournament at Pitt’s Petersen’s Event Center last March.

Fruchtl turned to another Brittany, junior Brittany Lilley, to lead the Flash back to the NEC tournament championship with its automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Lilley, who is not a point guard, assumed those duties for the 2010-11 season and today, the Red Flash (21-11) will host Monmouth (23-8) at 3 p.m. in the Stokes Center for the NEC tournament championship, with the school’s 11th trip to the NCAA women’s tournament on the line.

Lilley has averaged 12.9 points and four rebounds per game, but she leads the NEC in assists (161, 5.2 per game) and has recorded 50 steals.

“I have definitely grown,” Lilley said about her acclimation as point guard. “My initial position was to get the ball and score. I knew coming out of last season that I would have to play point guard, and I had some tough shoes to fill. But, Susan had faith in me that I could do it.”

Fruchtl, the NEC Coach of the Year, praised her point guard at a press conference last week, saying that St. Francis relies on the junior, whom she calls the “best athlete” on the team. Her play “is a major factor, and (Brittany) knows, we’ll go as she goes,” Fruchtl said. “It is not her major job to score, but it is her decision-making. Last year, we went as far as Hodges took us.”

That was high praise from Fruchtl since the NEC Player of the Year, senior Samantha Leach (17.6 ppg), was sitting at the table beside her coach.

Lilley was selected to the NEC second team.

The Red Flash have advanced to the title game the past three seasons, but in each year, St. Francis had been an underdog. This season, St. Francis won the regular-season title and with it, the No. 1 seed in the NEC tournament that allows it to host the championship game.

However, the fact that Monmouth defeated St. Francis twice during the regular season, 75-68 on Jan. 27 at the Stokes Center and 60-51 on Feb. 21 at Monmouth, makes this game more intriguing.

How did the Hawks become the only team to defeat the Flash twice during the season?

“We didn’t shoot the ball well, No. 1,” Fruchtl said about the second game. “And, we had a lot of turnovers, the highest total we had all year (25). We have to take care of the ball, No. 1. We got a lot of looks in transition, but we really didn’t hit many (3s).”

Monmouth earned the second seed in the NEC tournament, one game behind St. Francis.

The Hawks also contained Leach in the second match-up, allowing her just six points (3 of 9 from the field), her lowest output of the season.

The game presents an “immovable force, irresistible object” scenario. Monmouth allows the fewest points per game of any team in the NEC (54.5), while St. Francis leads the league in scoring (68.7 ppg). Monmouth also leads the NEC in

3-point field goal defensive percentage (26.1) and held the Red Flash to 30 percent (3 of 10) in the second matchup. Monmouth leads the league in 3-point field goals (6.16), while the Red Flash are third (5.81).

The Red Flash hope for a great shooting game from senior Allison Daly, who leads the team in 3-point shots made (69, 2.16 pg, second in the NEC). She hit eight in an NEC semifinal victory over top-seeded Robert Morris last year.

The Hawks have a young team. They feature sophomore guard Erin Rooney, who was the NEC Defensive Player of the Year. Offensively, Monmouth is led by sophomore guard Alyssa Womack, who averages 13 points per game and leads the team in 3 pointers with 50.

Both teams start three guards and two forwards. The other starters for St. Francis include senior guard Allison Daly (11.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), junior forward Allison Smith (4.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg), and sophomore forward Shene Fleming (7.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg).

The key reserve off the bench is freshman Alli Williams (8.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg).

In addition to Rooney and Womack, coach Stephanie Gaitley’s (57-35, third year) starters include junior Alexis Canady (8.7 ppg), senior forward Gena Broadhus (4.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg), and sophomore forward Abby Martin (9.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg). The Tribune Democrat - Johnstown, PA

March 10, 2011 Leach has experienced a revival at St. Francis By HUGH CONRAD For The Tribune-Democrat LORETTO — Samantha Leach spent a year in the valley when she came to St. Francis four years ago, but today she is standing on top of a mountain, both literally and figuratively.

As a young athlete from Mount Sterling, Ohio, Leach was not certain what to expect as a player in the St. Francis program when she arrived in August 2007.

After Leach accepted a scholarship to play for the Red Flash, the school declined to renew coach Jill Poe’s contract when she recorded consecutive 4-24 (2005-06) and 7-22 (2006-07) seasons.

Susan Robinson Fruchtl, a former great player and assistant coach at Penn State, was then hired to direct the Red Flash back to the top, and Leach decided to stay with her decision to attend St. Francis.

“I was recruited by Jill Poe, and during my senior year of high school, I heard about the coaching change,” Leach said Thursday after a press conference at the Stokes Center. “My freshman year was really rough, but we definitely made some changes. We all bought into what Susan was saying, and we have definitely made a transformation.”

When Leach was being recruited by Poe and her staff, she was impressed that the Red Flash had captured the Northeast Conference tournament championship nine of 10 years from 1996 to 2005.

However, for the next three seasons, St. Francis won just 14 games and never even qualified for the NEC tournament.

The Red Flash added an NEC tournament championship last season for number 10, and will play for their 11th on Sunday when they host Monmouth

(23-8) in a nationally-televised game (ESPNU) at 3 p.m. at the Stokes Center.

However, Leach’s first year was challenging as Fruchtl’s team finished 6-23 overall, just 3-15 in the NEC.

The following season, St. Francis improved significantly, with an 11-7 record in the NEC, and advanced to the tournament championship game before falling to Sacred Heart, 74-66.

“That was the first year that everyone believed that we could do it,” Leach said about her sophomore season. “We had worked so hard. Even my freshman year, we worked hard. It just wasn’t happening for us, but none of us gave up. I think that made a lot of difference. We believed that we could get there, and we did. We didn’t win it, but last year we proved that we could.”

In Leach’s junior season, the Red Flash continued to improve, but St. Francis still recorded an 11-7 record in the NEC, 17-15 overall.

Nevertheless, the Red Flash pulled off a huge upset in the NEC semifinals, defeating top-seeded Robert Morris 80-79 as senior Britney Hodges nailed a 3-point shot in the final seconds.

The Red Flash then had to travel to Long Island University for the title game, which they won 77-68.

St. Francis, now 21-11 overall, elevated its game this season and won the regular-season title for the first time under Fruchtl.

The regular-season championship was also the first for Leach and fellow senior Allison Daly.

Leach was named Player of the Year last week, joining such outstanding former Red Flash players Jess Zinobile, Beth Swink, Mary Markey, and Stacy Alexander.

“I think that it’s a huge honor, obviously,” Leach said. “I could not be happier just to know that the NEC thinks of me like that.

“It’s an honor.” The Tribune Democrat - Johnstown, PA

March 8, 2011 Red Flash going to NEC final Monmouth is next hurdle BY HUGH CONRAD For The Tribune-Democrat LORETTO — Defense wins championships, and the St. Francis women’s basketball team had to resort to that in the second half of a semifinal game to advance to the Northeast Conference championship for the third consecutive season.

The Red Flash managed to shut down Central Connecticut’s 3-point shooting in the second half, earning a 68-62 semifinal victory at the Stokes Center.

For Red Flash seniors Samantha Leach and Allison Daly, a return to the NEC championship game almost wipes out the memory of their freshman season, a year in which they won just six games.

The NEC championship will pit St. Francis against the No. 2 seed, Monmouth, a team that defeated them twice during the season. The game will be played on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Stokes Center.

Daly explained that the game means a great deal to the seniors, but is also special for others.

“I think that it’s a great reward for this community,” Daly said about playing the game at home. “Sam and I have been here for four years, and we couldn’t have asked for a better support system. This is a great win for the St. Francis women’s basketball team, but also for the community.”

St. Francis led by just one point, 35-34, at halftime as Central was 7-of-11 (64 percent) from 3-point range, with senior Leanne Crockett hitting 5-of-9 (56 percent) in three’s. That necessitated a change in strategy for the Red Flash.

“Defensively, we did a great job in the second half shutting down what they did in the first half, which was shoot the

3 extremely well,” coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said about the defense. “(Central Connecticut) came out on fire, and we just did not match up a few times in transition, and they really made us pay. We mixed up defenses in the first half ... and we lost (Crockett) a couple of times and did not get matched up in transition defense. We talked about that at halftime, and the kids made a more determined effort and were more alert.”

The Blue Devils did not hit any 3-pointers in the second half after nailing the seven in the first 20 minutes.

Central coach Beryl Piper said that St. Francis’ defense made the difference.

“They’re a good defensive team,” Piper said about the Flash. “They do a great job, they understand personnel, and they followed their game plan.”

Central took a 46-45 lead with Jessica Babe scoring on a put-back with 10:42 left in the game. Then the Red Flash caught fire, putting together a 14-6 run to take a 59-52 lead when Leach hit a short jumper with 5:25 left.

Nevertheless, the Blue Devils clawed back to pull within two, 64-62, when Jaleen Thomas pulled down a rebound and put it back with 41 seconds remaining.

However, Leach, the NEC Player of the Year, hit four consecutive free throws to seal the win.

For Leach, playing at home is also special.

“It means everything,” Leach said, “Especially being a senior.

“This is our last go-around, and having it on our home court is so exciting.”

The Blue Devils performed well throughout the game. Central built a six-point advantage in the first half when Gabrielle Oglesby hit the

NortheastConference.org Altoona Mirror - Altoona, PA Lilley leads the charge for Flash women

March 6, 2011 - By Nate Foreman [email protected]

LORETTO - It’s been several weeks since the St. Francis women’s basketball team started a game on fire both offensively and defensively. When the Red Flash are clicking, they are difficult to stop. Saturday afternoon was one of those days. Guided by Brittany Lilley’s 24-point performance, St. Francis jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first seven minutes, maintained its distance and belted Fairleigh Dickinson, 72-59, in the Northeast Conference Tournament quarterfinals. “Lilley came out very aggressive. That put us on our heels,” Fairleigh Dickinson coach Peter Cinella said. “From that point, I thought it was a pretty even game. It was the ultra-aggressive start by Lilley, in particular, and the buckets she got [that was the difference].” Lilley opened the game 4-for-4 from the floor for nine of the Flash’s 11 points in the first 3:57. That, coupled with a stifling 1-3-1 zone defense, gave St. Francis a 20-8 advantage just 7:15 into the game. “We just decided to take a chance there and play some zone,” St. Francis coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said. “We looked at the statistics of their last six games in the conference and noticed that they really have not shot the ball real well from the 3-point line. “We thought the change was necessary and to really try to stop their penetration which has really hurt us in the past.” The Red Flash’s homework paid off. Fairleigh Dickinson (14-16) was just 7-of-29 from behind the arc and turned the ball over 27 times. “I probably saw that 1-3-1 zone a couple times. I’m not sure they’ve even done it in an entire game,” Cinella said. “And they didn’t even do one possession of it in the two games that we played. So you’ve got to give St. Francis’ coaching staff credit and then their players for doing that zone so effectively because it was definitely very good.” “It made them hesitant all night,” Robinson Fruchtl said. “When you force 27 turnovers and you’re in zone, you’re doing something right. I think our kids have a lot of confidence in it.” The league’s top two leading scorers squared off, and it really seemed like no contest. NEC Player of the Year and leading scorer Samantha Leach had a quiet 16 points despite not attempting a field goal in the first 6:16. Meanwhile, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Mariyah Laury struggled. She managed only four points, after scoring 28 in her last trip to Loretto. She was 1- for-7 from the field - 0-for-5 from 3 - and made 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. “That zone really kept her out. She only took seven shots,” Cinella said. “The last time we played here, she probably took 20 shots. She’s definitely a player that’s more effective against man-to-man. They a good job of not giving her open looks.” “They we’re kinda denying me the ball, but everybody else definitely stepped up,” Leach said. “[Lilley] did such a great job today. Everyone did their job. It was definitely a team effort today.” But Lilley had her most complete game as the Flash’s point guard. She was 7-of-12 from the field, including hitting her only 3-point attempt, and was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. She also had six assists, five rebounds and four steals. “You have to take it up another level because everyone is taking it up,” Lilley said, who always seems to dig in during the conference tournament. “It doesn’t matter between the eight seed or the one seed. Everyone’s going to give it their best in tournament. You’ve just got to play your hardest. It’s do or die.” “She has to have a great tournament. She knows that,” Robinson Fruchtl said of Lilley. “We’ll go where she goes. It’s not just scoring - great decisions today. When she controls the tempo, we are a very good team.” It was an outstanding showing by the Red Flash, who earned the program’s seventh 20-win season and first since the 2004-05 campaign. And despite the home crowd being a little thin due to St. Francis’ spring break, the Flash themselves were well-rested. “Going into this game, it really helped to be on spring break for us,” Robinson Fruchtl said. “It gave us some much-needed rest after gutting it out last weekend getting the top seed. I think our legs were a little heavy.” “We came out fired up,” Lilley said. “We knew we split the wins with them during the regular season and we wanted it. We weren’t going to let them come in and take a win on our court. We just took it to them and gave it all we had.” St. Francis will host sixth-seeded Central Connecticut St. - the lowest remaining seed after Saturday’s quarterfinals - on Tuesday in the semifinals. The Blue Devils upset third-seeded Sacred Heart, 54-59. NortheastConference.org Altoona Mirror - Altoona, PA Red Flash happy to host NECs March 4, 2011 - By Nate Foreman, [email protected]

One of the goals for the St. Francis women’s basketball team this season was to secure home-court advantage throughout the North- east Conference playoffs. Now that the Red Flash have done that, they have to protect it. The road to the NCAA Tournament runs through DeGol Arena, where defending NEC champion St. Francis is 11-1 this season, but the Flash will have to get past pesky Fairleigh Dickinson in the quarterfinals on Saturday in order to keep their Big Dance hopes alive. “You want to play at home in front of your own fans,” St. Francis coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl said. “We felt last year, we kinda let our fans down by finishing where we did and we had to go on the road to the championship game. Even though they traveled with us, there were a lot of people that couldn’t go. “FDU is a really good team. They beat us at their place, and they almost beat us [at home]. It’s a good matchup.” The eighth-seeded Knights (14-15, 7-11 NEC) are led by all-conference first-teamer Mariyah Laury (15.6 ppg) and played the Red Flash tight in the regular-season split this year. St. Francis held off Fairleigh Dickinson, 73-70, in overtime on Jan. 15 in Loretto, while the Knights returned the favor, 62-58, in Hackensack, N.J. on Feb. 19. All four quarterfinal matchups feature a pair of teams who split the regular-season series with their opponent. “We’ve played them tough both games,” Fairleigh Dickinson coach Peter Cinella said. “They both came down to the last minute each time. I’m sure each team will have a few different looks, but it should be a competitive game. We have to find a way to deal with the crowd and play a team that’s very strong on it’s home court.” The Knights did a respectable job the last time they were in DeGol Arena, erasing a 17-point deficit in the last 14 minutes to send the game to overtime. “The team knows that we played pretty good there a couple weeks ago, so that gives the team a little bit of confidence,” Cinella said. “At the same time, we were down 17, so we have to find a way to not let that happen again. It’s tough to rely on going on a run at the end of the game. We’ve got to find a way to stay in the ballgame better.” Newly-crowned NEC Player of the Year Samantha Leach led the league in scoring with 17.4 points per game, and even she knows the Red Flash (19-11, 14-4) can’t look past Fairleigh Dickinson. “I think we have to come into this game really focused,” Leach said. “I think for us, most importantly, we can’t look ahead. We just have to focus on this game. We still have a lot to prove to FDU because they beat us at their place and went into overtime [at DeGol Arena]. “[Playing at home is] favorable for us. Our record shows that. It’s helpful having all of those fans be so supportive. Playing in our gym, we don’t have to travel. The other team does. We get to shoot on our rims. It’s just a comfort zone for us playing at home.” But if the past two weeks were any indication, playing in front of the home fans might not matter if St. Francis can’t score. Despite leading the conference with 69.2 points per game, the Red Flash have averaged 60 points and shot 36 percent (88-for-242) in their last four, including the loss at FDU. Interestingly enough, they are 0-7 when scoring 60 points or fewer. “We have not shot the ball well for two weekends,” Robinson Fruchtl said. “We need to shoot the ball better, but that’s why I think home court is a huge advantage because you tend to feel more comfortable at your own rims.”

NortheastConference.org Altoona Mirror - Altoona, PA Flash women receive NEC honors March 3, 2011 - By Nate Foreman [email protected]

When the St. Francis women’s basketball team takes the floor Saturday for its Northeast Conference quarterfinal game against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Red Flash will have two major award winners leading them. Just days after St. Francis won the program’s eighth regular-season championship, the league announced that fourth-year coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl was named the Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year and senior guard Samantha Leach was tabbed as NEC Player of the Year. “It’s really a culmination of a lot of hard work,” Robinson Fruchtl said of her honor. “It’s something, as a coach, I never put that as one of the goals. Good things happen when you have great players who were work hard, and a great staff - it goes all the way to the top to Bob Krimmel, even up to Father Gabe. The support they’ve given us; they care about women’s basketball here. “I can’t be more happy for a kid like Sam Leach because she’s in the gym everyday,” she added. “She’s a great student. She’s just a great person, and she’s really deserving of this.” Leach, who was on the All-NEC second team each of the last two seasons, was also named to the all-conference first team. The 5- foot-10 guard became the fifth different player in program history to capture the NEC’s highest individual honor, joining Stacy Alexander (1995), Mary Markey (1997), NEC Hall of Famer Jess Zinobile (1998, 2000) and Beth Swink (2004). “It’s definitely an honor,” Leach said. “It’s a great accomplishment, and I’m really excited about it. I definitely have to thank my teammates and my coaching staff for helping me get here. “I got a text message from Beth Swink [Wednesday] congratulating me. That was definitely cool. I think it will mean a lot more once I graduate and look back on everything.” St. Francis had two others receive accolades as freshman Alli Williams was named to the NEC all-rookie team, and junior point guard Brittany Lilley was named to the All-NEC second team. “[Lilley] does a tremendous job at our point guard position,” Leach said of her teammate. “Alli Williams coming off the bench - she’s such a good spark for us. “Susan did a great job coaching us and getting us to this point and getting that No. 1 spot.” Joining Leach on the NEC first team are Quinnipiac’s Courtney Kaminski, Long Island’s Ashley Palmer, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Mariyah Laury and Sacred Heart’s Callan Taylor. Monmouth’s Erin Rooney was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Robert Morris’ Artemis Spanou was named Rookie of the Year.

NortheastConference.org NEC Women’s Basketball Preseason Prognostications 2009-10 FINAL Standings Long Island Captures NEC Preseason No. 1 Ranking School NEC Pct. Overall Pct. In what marks the 10th anniversary of their only Northeast Conference Tournament title, 1. Robert Morris* 17-1 .944 23-9 .719 the Long Island Blackbirds are expected to return to the top. Long Island, which came up 2. Long Island* 14-4 .778 22-10 .688 one win short of last year’s conference crown, stands as the coaches’ pick to achieve NEC 3. Sacred Heart* 12-6 .667 19-11 .633 women’s basketball supremacy in 2010-11. 4. Monmouth* 11-7 .611 16-14 .533 St. Francis (PA)* ^ 11-7 .611 17-15 .531 The Northeast Conference announced the results of its annual preseason poll along with 6. Bryant 10-8 .556 13-16 .448 the unveiling of a five-member All-NEC Preseason Team during a media teleconference 7. Central Conn. St.* 8-10 .444 12-18 .400 on November 4, eight days before the 2010-11 season officially tips off. 8. Quinnipiac* 7-11 .389 12-18 .400 9. Mount St. Mary's 6-12 .333 10-18 .357 LIU garnered six first-place votes in the annual survey of the league’s 12 head coaches, Wagner* 6-12 .333 9-21 .300 winning what was a tight race for the moniker of NEC women’s basketball preseason 11. Fairleigh Dickinson 5-13 .278 9-20 .310 favorite. 12. St. Francis (NY) 1-17 .056 2-27 .069 * Tournament participants - ^Tournament champion One of four teams to receive first-place votes, Robert Morris pulled in three top nods to claim second in the poll. Despite the lack of a first-place vote, Sacred Heart accrued 2010-11 enough points to take third ahead of defending NEC Tournament champion Saint Francis NEC Preseason (PA) and its pair of No. 1 nods. Monmouth received the lone remaining top vote to finish Coaches Poll fifth. 1. Long Island (6) Nutmeg State rivals Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut wound up sixth and seventh, 2. Robert Morris (3) respectively. Set for its second season as a conference member, Bryant earned the No. 3. Sacred Heart 4. Saint Francis (PA) (2) 8 spot followed by Fairleigh Dickinson in ninth. Wagner was tenth in front of Mount St. 5. Monmouth (1) Mary’s in eleventh and St. Francis (NY) in twelfth. 6. Quinnipiac 7. Central Connecticut State The preseason poll once again failed to deliver a unanimous favorite, marking the eighth 8. Bryant straight season of divided opinion. Not since 1999, however, has the coaches’ vote 9. Fairleigh Dickinson been as fragmented as it was in 2010. For the first time in 11 years, four different teams 10. Wagner received a first-place nod. 11. Mount St. Mary’s 12. St. Francis (NY) Long Island hopes to buck what has become a five-year trend. Not since the 2004-05 First place votes in parentheses ( ). season has the coaches’ poll correctly predicted the tournament champion. That Saint Francis team, which was the last to live up to its No. 1 preseason billing, entered the NEC Preseason Poll History 2004-05 season with a less-experienced core that than of the 2010-11 Blackbirds. Year Preseason Favorite Tournament Champion Preseason Poll Notes: Long Island last held the moniker of preseason favorite heading 2009-10 Sacred Heart (3rd) Saint Francis (PA) (2nd) into the 2007-08 campaign. The Blackbirds finished fourth in the regular season stand- 2009-10 Sacred Heart (3rd) Saint Francis (PA) (2nd) ings that year and advanced all the way to the NEC title game. … Sacred Heart's No. 3 2008-09 Robert Morris (6th) Sacred Heart (3rd) preseason poll position falls right in line with the program's 11-year history of NEC membership. Ed Swanson's Pioneers have never finished lower than third place in the 2007-08 Long Island (4th) Robert Morris (2nd) NEC regular season standings. … Robert Morris has garnered at least one first-place 2006-07 Sacred Heart (t-1st) Robert Morris (3rd) vote in each of the past six preseason polls. Last year, the Colonials reached the 20-win 2005-06 Robert Morris (t-2nd) Sacred Heart (2nd) mark for the fifth time in six seasons. … The year the LIU Blackbirds won their lone NEC 2004-05 St. Francis (PA) (1st) St. Francis (PA) (1st) title (2000-01), they were tabbed sixth in the preseason poll. 2003-04 St. Francis (PA) (1st) St. Francis (PA) (1st) 2002-03 St. Francis (PA) (1st) St. Francis (PA) (1st) New Season Brings Back Old Tournament Format The 2011 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament will employ a new 2001-02 Long Island (t-2nd) St. Francis (PA) (8th) format that really isn't that new. The eight-team postseason event will return to the high- 2000-01 Mount St. Mary’s (1st) Long Island (6th) seed hosting set-up, which the league last used in 2006. All seven games (quarters, 1999-00 Mount St. Mary’s (2nd) St. Francis (PA) (2nd) semis, and final) will take place at on-campus home sites. The top four seeds, as 1998-99 St. Francis (PA) (2nd) St. Francis (PA) (1st) determined by the NEC regular season standings, will earn the privilege of hosting a 1997-98 St. Francis (PA) (1st) St. Francis (PA) (1st) quarterfinal round contest on March 5. The two highest remaining seeds will play the 1996-97 Mount St. Mary’s (t-4th) St. Francis (PA) (T-5th) semifinal games on their home courts on March 8. The NEC Championship Game, which will reach a national audience for the fourth consecutive season on ESPNU, is slated for 1995-96 St. Francis (PA) (2nd) St. Francis (PA) (1st) March 13 at 3:00 pm in the home facility of the highest seed remaining. In each of the 1994-95 Mount St. Mary’s (1st) Mount St. Mary’s (1st) past three seasons, the NEC hosted all quarterfinal and semifinal round games at one, 1993-94 Mount St. Mary’s (1st) Mount St. Mary’s (1st) pre-determined host site. (place finished) (preseason rank)