LORETTO, Pa. (AP) — Brittany Lilley had 19 points and 10 assists, and Saint Francis, Pa., earned another Northeast Conference tournament title and trip to the NCAA tournament with a 72-57 win Sunday over Monmouth.
Samantha Leach, the NEC’s player of the year, also scored 19 for the Red Flash (22-11), who won their 11th title since 1996.
Alysha Womack and Abby Martin each scored 19 points for Monmouth (23-9). The 5-foot-10 Martin muscled her way into the lane to hit 9 of 16 shots and grab eight rebounds.
The Hawks closed a double-digit deficit to 40-36 in the second half before the Red Flash capitalized on a slew of Monmouth turnovers. Allison Daly’s layup after a steal put Saint Francis up by 11 with about 10 minutes left.
The Red Flash stretched the lead to 19 behind strong play off the bench from Alexandra Williams, who had 11 points and six rebounds.
