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On Deck!
In the midst of a three-game losing streak - all on the road - the Saint Francis men's basketball team will remain in Brooklyn to battle Long Island University at 2 p.m. on Saturday, at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center. The Red Flash come in with a 2-5 record, while the Blackbirds are 4-2. Both teams lost their Northeast Conference openers on Thursday night.
History Lesson
The Saint Francis radio team of Bernie Jubeck and Joe Vesnesky love their history, so we dedicate this note to the voices of the Red Flash. The Brooklyn campus is LIU's first permanent site, established in 1926. The campus, located at the intersection of Flatbush and DeKalb avenues (across the street from Junior's restaurant), includes the former Brooklyn Paramount Theater, the world's first theater built specifically for talking pictures. The theater, which abuts the original core campus, was bought in 1960 by LIU and converted into a gymnasium in 1963. Parts of the theater's balcony were used as lecture rooms. The theater's original Wurlitzer organ was used as a basketball court for the Brooklyn campus' Blackbirds' home basketball games until the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center (designed by Arquitectonica) was built. The campus is recognized by the New York Times as being one of the most diverse in the U.S. and is home to the prestigious George Polk Awards in journalism
Series vs. Long Island
This will be the 61st meeting between Saint Francis and Long Island, with the Red Flash own a slight 31-29 advantage in the series. SFU won a thrilling 74-73 overtime decision last Jan. 30 at DeGol Arena, but had lost four straight in the series before that. The Blackbirds won the other meeting in 2009-10, 89-80, on Jan. 9, in Brooklyn.
Sizing Up Long Island
Long Island's high-powered offense comes in with a 4-2 record after dropping a 70-69 contest on Thursday night versus Robert Morris. The Blackbirds lead the Northeast Conference in scoring (80.3 ppg) and scoring margin (+11.0). They also lead in field goal percentage (.450) and are second in 3-point field goal percentage (.361). Kyle Johnson (15.5 ppg), Jamal Olasewere (13.3 ppg), and C.J. Garner (10.3 ppg) paced LIU in scoring, while Julian Boyd and Johnson are the team leaders with 7.7 and 6.5 rpg, respectively. Garner has a team-high 12 blocks, and Johnson has torched opponents with 15 three-pointers and a .556 success rate from beyond the arc.
Inside The Box Score
Saint Francis scored a season-low 44 points in dropping its NEC?opener on Thursday night at St. Francis-NY. Here is a closer look and some notes from the box score:
- Saint Francis out-rebounded its opponent for the sixth time in seven games this season.
- The Red Flash had 20-plus turnovers (22), and committed 20-plus fouls (21), for the third straight game.
- Junior Jon Taylor (Bowie, Md./Montgomery College-Germantown) picked up his first Division I start and registered career highs with 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 20 minutes played.The blocks were the first two of his Saint Francis career.
- SFU made 8-of-11 free throw attempts to bring its free throw percentage to .839 (26-of-31) over the past three games.
- Saint Francis' 16 field goals and .327 FG% were both season lows.
- While the Red Flash were 8-of-11 from the charity stripe, it marked the fourth straight game they have failed to reach double digits in free throws made. They have had double digit FT makes in just two of seven games this year.
- Saint Francis fell to 0-5 on the road, and lost their eighth straight road game.
- Sophomore Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) reached double digits in scoring for the fourth time in his past five games. He had 14 points and was 6-of-12 from the field. Ervin also scored his 200th career point in the game.
- Sophomore Chris Johnson (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) recorded his fifth two-steal game of the season, and leads the team with 11.
- Sophomores Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) (15) and Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) (14) and senior Mislav Jukic (Zagreb, Crotia/Life Center Acadamy) (10) reached double digits in scoring, but no other Red Flash player had more than two points.
- Sophomore Will Felder (Cleveland, OH/Lutheran East Hs) pulled down his 200th career rebound.
- Senior Sorena Orandi (Vastra Frolunda, Sweden/Solebury Prep) dished out his 100th career assist.
- SFU's 21 points scored in the first half was its lowest in the first half this season. Similarly, the Terriers' 24 points in the first half were the lowest by any opponent this year.
Growing Pains
As one of the youngest Division I teams in the country, Saint Francis may be suffering through some growing pains as head coach is in the midst of a rebuilding process. With just 11 total years of Division I experience on the roster heading into 2010-11, most of SFU's minutes are being played by student-athletes with less than two years of experience. The five Red Flash sophomores have accounted for 60.3 percent (844 of 1400) of the minutes played so far this season. Add in the six newcomers who have seen action, including junior transfer Jon Taylor (Bowie, Md./Montgomery College-Germantown), and 75.9 percent of the minutes played are being contributed by first or second-year Division I players.
Protect The Ball
Saint Francis has struggled in protecting the ball this season. The Red Flash have 66 turnovers in the past three games (22 tpg), and a Northeast Conference-high 125 on the season. SFU's -3.86 turnover margin is 12th in the 12-team league.
