Northeast Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Tonjee Ward (Creedmoor, NC/Port Jervis (NC)) posted game-highs in points (24) and rebounds (nine) in the 15-point victory. She scored 14 of her 24 points in the first half as the Red Flash assumed control of the game early. Ward scored a season-high 24 points in each of her team’s NEC playoff games against Mount Saint Mary’s, Quinnipiac and Monmouth. The SFU senior also recorded a season-high seven steals on Saturday afternoon against the Hawks, leading a Red Flash defensive effort that forced 28 Monmouth turnovers.

Junior Beth Swink (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville) scored 14 points and Karen Hewitt (Cincinnati, OH/Cincinnati Hills), Sarah Bolten (Batavia, OH/Glen Este) and Christin Black (Fairmont, WV/Fairmont) each chipped in 10 points to compliment the effort by Ward.

St. Francis wasted little time proving why it is the most dominant team in the NEC, scoring the game’s first 12 points and bolting out a 20-2 lead four minutes into the game on a lay-up by Swink. The Flash sank their first five shots from the floor and held Monmouth without a field goal for four minutes and 16 seconds to open the game.

"We are so multi-faceted on offense and defense that our strong start didn’t surprise me," said Red Flash head coach Jill Poe, whose team won its 20th straight game. "All the credit goes to our seniors. They closed a perfect conference season with a perfect run through the NEC Tournament. They provided us with leadership and great play all year long."

St. Francis stretched its lead to 23 points at the intermission, 46-23, before a second-half run by Monmouth cut the deficit to 11 points, 53-42, on a bucket by junior Courtney Lumpkin (Newark, NJ/West Side) with 11:46 to play. SFU would maintain a double-digit advantage, however, mounting a 17-9 late-game run to hold the Hawks at bay.

Swink joined Ward on the NEC’s All-Tournament Team. Lumpkin scored 19 points on seven-for-17 shooting from the field to lead the Hawks and senior Jewonda Bright (Norfolk, VA/Norview) added 10 points. The Monmouth tandem joined Ward and Swink and Quinnipiac's Ashlee Kelly on the All-Tournament Team.

"I knew that they would hit some shots but I thought we would weather the storm better than we did," said Monmouth head coach Jackie DeVane. "Their start got us out of our game-plan."

St. Francis (25-5) shot 52.9 percent (18-for-34) in the first half and forced 16 Monmouth (18-12) turnovers before the intermission.

The victory was SFU’s 24th straight in the NEC Tournament dating back to the 1995-96 season.