MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The St. Francis women’s basketball team came up clutch in the fourth quarter to earn its first win of the season, 58-55, at Robert Morris Wednesday.
St. Francis freshman Airah Lavy poured in a career-high 19 points, including the go-ahead triple with 27 seconds left that proved to be the game-winning bucket. The Ohio native went 6-for-8 from the field and 5 of 7 from the 3-point line. She also posted a team-best two steals.
Julianna Gibson tied her career high in points with 15. The junior also collected five rebounds. Natalie Johnson chipped in 10 points.
Marina Artero tallied a game-high eight rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. The sophomore’s last offensive board led to her fourth assist of the night when she hit Lavy for the game-winner.
Isys Grady led Robert Morris with 15 points. Noa Givon added 12 points.
The Colonials (2-2) got off to a blazing start with a 16-7 lead. The Red Flash responded with a 6-0 run to cut it to 16-13 after the first quarter.
St. Francis (1-5) continued their momentum into the second quarter with a 14-7 run to go up 27-23 at the 1:29 mark. After a Robert Morris timeout, they scored five straight points to bring the halftime score to 28-27.
The Colonials went on a 12-6 run to open up the second half with a 40-33 lead. The Red Flash would fight back to bring it to 46-41 going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter showed the resiliency of the Red Flash. Robert Morris started out the quarter by going up 48-43 at the 9:09 mark. St. Francis proceeded to take control by outscoring Robert Morris 12-7 through the rest of the quarter. The final 2:18 saw the Red Flash make three of the final four baskets of the game on their way to the win.
Lavy scored nine of the Red Flash’s final 10 points in the first quarter, including a personal 6-0 run during the final two minutes to cut into the deficit.
Gibson recorded seven points during the 14-7 run in the second quarter, including going 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.
Gibson and Johnson scored 10 of the team’s 14 points during the quarter. Johnson hit a layup at the 1:49 mark to help bring the deficit down to 44-41 at one point.
St. Francis outscored Robert Morris 17-9 in the final quarter. The Red Flash shot a quarter-best 6-for-10 from the field. From Johnson’s layup at the 4:19 mark to the end of the game, the team made four of their final six shots.
Lavy registered her second straight double-digit scoring game after dropping 16 Nov. 17 versus Loyola Maryland.
Gibson matched her career-high point total from her 15-point outing against Wagner Jan. 6, 2024. It is the fifth double-digit scoring game in her career.
The Red Flash outrebounded the Colonials 41-25, including 32 defensive. The 41 boards is a season best for the team. Ineivi Plata and Harris Robinson each collected seven, which is a career high for Plata.
St. Francis knocked down a season-best 14 free throws. Gibson was a perfect 9-for-9 for a career best in free throws made and are the most by a player this season.
The Red Flash will travel to Maryland at 1 p.m. Sunday.
