SFU in good position for home playoff game
NEC Men's Basketball
LORETTO — Saint Francis has a chance in its final regular-season home game Saturday to do something the program hasn’t done in 26 years.
If the Red Flash beat Fairleigh Dickinson tomorrow, they will clinch a first-round home game in the Northeast Conference Tournament. Saint Francis hasn’t played a conference tourney game at home since the Mike Iuzzolino days in 1991.
“It means progress, it means we’re taking that next step,” SFU coach Rob Krimmel said of that possibility. “When you talk about not hosting a home playoff game in — I can’t do that math, but it’s a long time, before some of these guys were born — it’s a testament to the guys in that locker room.”
The Red Flash fell behind 14-2 to start Thursday night’s game against Sacred Heart, then stormed back in a big way to grab a 10-point lead by halftime. Saint Francis was never seriously challenged in the second half and beat the Pioneers, 73-64, at DeGol Arena.
The Flash (13-15) are now 10-7 in the NEC, while FDU dropped to 9-8 with a loss Thursday at Robert Morris. A Saint Francis win over FDU would lock up the No. 4 seed in the NEC Tournament, and depending on tiebreakers, the Flash could turn right back around and host FDU again next week in the first round.
“We’ve now put ourselves in a position to play a meaningful game the last regular-season game, and I’m proud of the way this team has really grown over the course of the last couple months,” Krimmel said of his team, one of the youngest in Division I.”
There was a time not long ago when the SFU program was a total afterthought, good for single-digit wins in some years. During Krimmel’s tenure, the program has emerged as a legitimate contender in the NEC, capable of winning games on the road and in the conference tournament.
Being able to host a playoff game is a much-needed next step.
“We’ve tried to talk to these guys about the sense of urgency of what you’re going to need to do to play in a game like this, and Saturday is going to be an opportunity to experience that,” Krimmel said.
Down 14-2 Thursday, the Flash got back in the game quickly thanks to a 3-pointer and a couple of other long jumpers by Isaiah Blackmon. They went on a 17-0 run and took their first lead at 21-20 with 10:20 to go in the half, never relinquishing it the rest of the night.
The Flash had great scoring balance, getting 13 points from Randall Gaskins Jr., 12 apiece from Blackmon, Josh Nebo and Georgios Angelou, 11 from Keith Braxton and nine from Andre Wolford.
Angelou hit a 3 just before halftime for a 41-31 lead at the break, and that 14-2 slow start was a distant memory.
Quincy McKnight led Sacred Heart (13-17, 8-9) with 18 points, while Joseph Lopez had 17 and De’von Barnett 14.
SACRED HEART (13-17): Lopez 6-12 4-6 17, Barnett 7-10 0-1 14, Tucker 0-3 4-6 4, Hoehn 0-7 2-2 2, McKnight 5-13 7-7 18, Buovac 1-9 0-0 3, Walton 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 2-5 1-1 6, Montague 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-62 18-23 64.
SAINT FRANCIS (13-15): Nebo 5-9 2-2 12, Braxton 2-7 7-9 11, Gaskins 5-9 1-2 13, King 2-8 0-0 4, Blackmon 5-10 1-2 12, Wrencher 0-0 0-0 0, Kuzavas 0-1 0-0 0, Wallace 0-0 0-0 0, Angelou 4-10 0-0 12, Wolford 3-5 0-1 9. Totals 26-59 11-16 73.
Halftime–Saint Francis 41-31. 3-Point Goals–Sacred Heart 4-21 (Lopez 1-1, Robinson 1-3, McKnight 1-3, Buovac 1-8, Tucker 0-1, Barnett 0-1, Hoehn 0-4), Saint Francis 10-25 (Angelou 4-10, Wolford 3-5, Gaskins 2-3, Blackmon 1-3, Braxton 0-1, Kuzavas 0-1, King 0-2). Fouled Out–King. Rebounds–Sacred Heart 39 (Lopez 12), Saint Francis 37 (Braxton 12). Assists–Sacred Heart 14 (Tucker 7), Saint Francis 14 (Angelou 7). Total Fouls–Sacred Heart 17, Saint Francis 19. A–778 (3,500).
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