EMMITSBURG, Md. - Saint Francis (Pa.) defeated Mount St. Mary's 68-53 in Northeast Conference (NEC) women's basketball action on Thursday.

Leah Westbrooks (Dublin, Ireland/Holy Faith Secondary) paced the Mount (10-17, 6-11 NEC) with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

With the loss coupled with Quinnipiac downing Monmouth 78-69, the Mountaineers must win against Robert Morris on Saturday to advance to its unprecedented 21st-straight NEC Tournament.

Britney Hodges fueled the Red Flash (13-14, 10-7 NEC) with 24 points. Samantha Leach added 14 points and Allison Daly chipped in 11 points in the winning effort.

Saint Francis (Pa.) used a strong second half to rally from an eight-point deficit and go on to earn the season sweep against the Mountaineers.

Trailing 37-29 with 16:44 remaining, the Red Flash went on a 21-6 run to take the lead it would not relinquish.

After Sandra Andresson (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentes School) gave Mount St. Mary's a 37-29 edge, Hodges started the decisive run with a 3-pointer at 16:35. Leach then hit 1 of 2 at the free throw line at 15:56 before Quinessa Johnson nailed a jumper 25 seconds later to make it a two-point game.

Selina Mann (Gainesville, Va./Battlefield) nailed a 3-pointer at 15:03 and Mary Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) scored in the lane to regain a seven-point advantage at 42-35 with 14:35 on the clock.

Hodges then started another Saint Francis (Pa.) run with a 3-pointer at 14:15 before Daly drilled a trey of her own at 13:14 to trim the margin to 42-41. Leach handed the Red Flash the edge on a layup with 12:30 left.

After Andresson hit the frontend of two free throws at 12:12 to knot the game at 43, Hodges nailed a 3-pointer to hand Saint Francis (Pa.) the lead for good. Leach nailed two charity tosses at 10:15 and Hodges scored in the lane to increase the Red Flash advantage to 50-43 with 10:03 on the clock.

Westbrooks momentarily halted the run Saint Francis (Pa.) momentum with a layup at 8:18, but Hodges started an 18-7 run to end the game to go on for the 68-53 victory.

The Red Flash jumped out to a 16-10 advantage thanks to seven points by Leach. The Mount rallied to take a 30-25 advantage at halftime thanks to a 20-9 run to end the half. Lauren Howell (Quinton, N.J./Sacred Heart) drilled two 3-pointers and Sydney Henderson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee)
 had five points in the run.

The Mountaineers increased the advantage to 37-29 after starting the final stanza by scoring seven of the first 11 points. Andresson had all seven points for the Mount in the run, including a trey at 16:44 to give Mount St. Mary's the eight-point edge. Saint Francis (Pa.) then rallied to take the advantage and never look back to put the Mountaineers in a must-win situation on Saturday to make the NEC Tournament.

Mount St. Mary's is currently tied with Quinnipiac and Wagner for the final playoff spots at 6-11. Fairleigh Dickinson is one game behind the trio at 5-12, but the Bobcats and Knights play each other so the winner of that contest will advance to the league postseason if the Mount falls on Saturday.

The Mount hosts Robert Morris on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.