Women's Basketball Runs Away With 80-52 Win Over Saint Francis (Pa.)

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1/13/07 -- Fresh off a 35-point drubbing of Mount St. Mary’s, the Long Island women’s basketball team continued its torrid scoring pace with an 80-52 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.). Four Blackbirds scored in double-figures as Long Island used a 22-8 run to close out the first half and put the game out of reach for the Red Flash.

The Blackbirds (11-5, 4-1 Northeast Conference) set the tempo from the start. Saint Francis won the opening tip, but freshman Connie James (Galloway, N.J.) promptly swiped the ball from Lauren Donahoe and went coast-to-coast for a fast-break layup. The Red Flash (4-12, 1-4) hung in up until the 11-minute mark of the first frame, when Long Island embarked on it’s game-changing run, The Blackbirds scored 22 of the next 30 points to take a 40-25 lead into the break.

Long Island picked up right where it left off at halftime, scoring the first eight points of the period. With 16 minutes left to play, the Blackbirds locked down on defense, forcing Saint Francis into an offensive quagmire. For four of the Red Flash’s next five possessions, Long Island caused a quick turnover and ran the length of the court for a fast-break layup. At the end of the Blackbirds’ whirlwind of steals and layups, Saint Francis was looking up at a 30-point deficit that it would not overcome.

Long Island netted 14 fast-break points, compared to just two for the Red Flash. The Blackbirds also held a considerable edge in points off turnovers, 25-9.

Freshman Valerie Nainima (Suva, Fiji) led Long Island with game highs of 17 points and eight rebounds, while fellow Fijian Mikaelar Whippy (Suva, Fiji) added 12 points and five assists. Freshman Minna Sten (Turku, Finland) had an impressive performance off the bench. She turned in a career-high 11 points and five rebounds. Sten scored on consecutive put-backs in the first half and later added a three-pointer. She shot 5-for-8 from the field. James chipped in with 12 points, while senior Sonya Coleman (Toledo, Ohio) pilfered a game-high five steals.

Christie Ayers led Saint Francis with 10 points and Whitney Robinson paced the Red Flash with four boards.

Over the past two games, Long Island has won by a combined 63 points, which stands as the largest two-game margin of victory since the Blackbirds won a pair of games by a combined 90 points during the 1979-80 campaign. Long Island defeated Hunter, 84-38, on Dec. 5, 1979 and beat Brooklyn College, 87-43 on Dec. 7.

Long Island will return to action on Monday, Jan. 15, when the Blackbirds host Robert Morris in matinee action. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.