EMMITSBURG, Md. – Mount St. Mary's made a roaring comeback attempt after trailing by 18 points, but Saint Francis (Pa.) scored the final six points of the game to secure a 59-51 victory in Northeast Conference (NEC) women's basketball action on Saturday night.

Sydney Henderson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) paced the Mount (8-14, 4-7 NEC) with 12 points while Ashley Christie (Miamisburg, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) added nine points in the loss.

Trailing 50-32 with 6:43 remaining, the Mountaineers went on a 19-3 run to make it a two-point game with 96 seconds left. Nickia Gibbs missed both free throws two seconds later, but Alli Williams came up with the rebound and the put-back to give the Red Flash (9-13, 7-4 NEC) a four-point lead and then Alexa Hayward went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to seal the win.

Hayward fueled the Red Flash (10-12, 7-4 NEC) with 15 points while Gibbs added 14 points off the bench. Williams tallied 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Rhonda Watts chipped in 10 points.

Saint Francis (Pa.) took the lead midway through the first half and had to hold off a late Mount St. Mary's charge to earn its sixth-straight win in the series.

Selina Mann (Gainesville, Va./Battlefield) gave the Mount an 8-6 edge with two free throws at 13:01 and Christie regained the edge with two charity tosses with 12:13 on the clock. With the score tied at 12, the Red Flash scored six-straight points to take the lead for good.

Gibbs started the 6-0 spurt on a layup at 9:40 before Watts scored in the lane at 9:12 and Allison Smith nailed a jumper at 8:53 for an 18-12 lead.

Christie momentarily halted the with a traditional 3-point play at 8:02, but Saint Francis (Pa.) scored 14 of the next 16 points to grab a 32-17 lead with 3:10 left in the first half. Hayward and Watts paced the spurt with six points each. The Red Flash went into the locker room with a 36-21 advantage.

In the second half, Saint Francis (Pa.) maintained a double-digit lead until the Mount went on a 19-3 lead to trim the margin to 53-51 with 1:06 left.

Down 50-32, Jen Carney (Drexel Hills, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) started the rally with two free throws at 6:43. Henderson and Gibbs then traded baskets. After Henderson scored on a layup at 5:32, Carney nailed a jumper at 5:04. Rachel Mathews (Midlothian, Va./Midlothian) drained two free throws at 4:29 before Henderson scored in the lane at 4:29 to trim the deficit to single digits.

Rebecca Keegan answered for the Red Flash by making 1 of 2 at the line at 4:10 to restore a 10-point lead, but Mount St. Mary's scored the next eight points.

Jessie Kaufman (Damascus, Md./Damacus) drained the squad's first 3-pointer of the game at 2:51 and Carney drained a trey of her own at 2:19 to trim the margin to 53-49. Sandra Andresson (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentes School) drained two free throws with 96 seconds left to make it a two-point game, but Saint Francis (Pa.) scored the final six points of the night to come away with the victory.

Mann finished the game with six points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists. Kaufman recorded five blocks in the game to become the first player since Melissa O'Connell had five rejections at Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 29, 1996. Carney notched a career-high seven points.

The Red Flash held a 54-32 advantage on the boards.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action at home against Robert Morris on Monday. Game time is 7 p.m. The Colonials come into the contest 12-10 overall and 6-5 in league play after defeating Wagner 55-38 on Saturday.