TEANECK, N.J. (Mar. 1, 2008) – Manny Ubilla's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Saint Francis men's basketball team a heartbreaking 72-70 defeat at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Flash had the lead, 70-69, with 2.5 seconds remaining after freshman Sorena Orandi (Vastra Frolunda, Sweden/Solebury Prep) (Vastra Frolunda, Gothenburg, Sweden / Solebury Prep) pulled up for a 10-foot jumper with 5.1 seconds remaining. Knights head coach Tom Green called a timeout with 2.5 seconds remaining to set up a play. It went to Ubilla, who somehow fell to the floor and maintained his dribble. He then had enough time to get up and pull up for a 3-pointer for the game-winner.

The loss was a crushing blow to Saint Francis' season as it eliminated the Red Flash from the post-season. A win would have clinched the eighth seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament. Instead, SFU finishes its season 6-23 overall and 4-14 in the league.

Orandi, whose play improved down the stretch, went for a career-best 24 points and 6 rebounds two nights after going for career highs in both categories against Monmouth.

Redshirt junior Bassirou Dieng (Dakar, Senegal /Riverdale Baptist) (Dakar, Senegal / Riverdale Baptist) tallied 14 points, 9 rebounds and a block, and junior Chris Berry (Seagoville, TX/Seagoville)
(Seagoville, Texas / Seagoville) posted his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Ubilla led the Knights with 21 points, Eric Hazard had 20 points and Sean Baptiste tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds.

SFU struggled from the foul stripe with an 18-for-30 effort, while Fairleigh Dickinson made 15-of-17.

The Red Flash dug themselves an early hole by missing their first five shots in falling behind 10-0. Fairleigh Dickinson built its lead to as
many as 15 points, but Saint Francis buckled down on the defensive end and held the Knights without a field goal for a seven minute stretch in the first half. Orandi reached his career high with 13 points in the first half to provide a spark off the bench. The freshman guard was spectacular. Trailing 32-20, Orandi scored nine straight points for SFU in the final 3:29. He helped the Red Flash pull within seven points, 37-30, at the break.

Saint Francis continued to chip away at FDU's lead in the second half. The Red Flash got it down to five points, 37-32, on a pair of Berry free throws, but the Knights got it back to 12 points with 11:53 remaining. However, Saint Francis again held FDU without a field go for more than seven minutes during an 8-0 run, capped by a Dieng tip-in, to pull the Red Flash within 56-52 with 5:32 to go. Trailing by six at 60-54 with 3:56 to play, Orandi hit a 3-pointer, Dieng hit a jumper and then Orandi tied it at 60-60 during a 6-0 run over the final 3:56. It was the first tie of the game.

In overtime, junior Marquis Ford (St. Petersburg, FL /St. Petersburg) (St. Petersburg, Fla. / St. Petersburg) scored his first bucket since the first half to give the Red Flash their first lead at 62-60 1:21 into the extra stanza. A 3-pointer by Bernell Murray and a jumper by Baptiste gave the Knights a 65-62 edge with 2:42 remaining. A pair of free throws by Ford, followed by a Hazard bucket and two more free throws from Berry, the Red Flash trailed 67-66 with 1:27 to go. Berry came down with a defense rebound and hit a jumper at the other end to give SFU a 68-67 lead with 52.1 seconds remaining. Ubilla gave the Knights a 69-68 lead with a jumper with 30 seconds to go, and then Orandi hit his ninth field goal of the night to give the Red Flash what appeared to be a playoff-clinching victory. Ubilla ended his career with the 3-pointer to win the game for FDU.