BOX SCORE  -  SFU POSTGAME - WATCH REPLAY  

POSTGAME WITH JT  -  GAME HIGHLIGHTS 

LORETTO, Pa. (Dec. 10, 2011) – The Saint Francis University men's basketball team rallied for its third consecutive win at DeGol Arena Saturday night against American, 66-61.
 
The Red Flash (3-7, 2-0) rallied from down as many as 16 to knock off the Eagles (8-3, 0-0) and earn their first non-conference victory of the season. Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) posted a career-high 21 points with 17 coming in the second half, while Ollie Jackson (Dallas, Texas/Pinkston ) added 14. Troy Brewer put together an excellent shooting performance for the Eagles going 7-of-9 from behind the 3-point arc and recording 23 points but it was not enough. Head Coach Don Friday was so impressed the way his team came together and preformed, he brought all of them into the postgame press conference.     
 
American started hot from the field, while also playing tough defense and did not allow SFU to connect on field goal until 4:35 into the game. The Eagles ran out to 14-0 lead but SFU bench once again sparked the Flash with big buckets from Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) and Jon Taylor (Bowie, Md./Montgomery College-Germantown). SFU's bench ignited a 17-8 run for the Red Flash cutting American's early 15 point advantage to just five. American counter punched with three consecutive 3-point baskets with two from Brewer. The Eagles rode their hot shooting to a 39-25 halftime lead with Brewer leading the way going 6-of-7 from behind the 3-point arc in the first frame.
 
The Red Flash stepped up the defense to start the second half and once again cut into the American advantage getting the lead down to as little as five. But Brewer shook lose again connecting on a pair of baskets to push the lead back to 11. Kameron Ritter and Ervin provide energy and a calming presence for the Flash and cut the American lead to just two with just over five minutes remaining. Ritter's defense keyed the Flash comeback as the junior pestered the hot shooting Brewer. The energy and persistence paid off for the Flash and at the 2:47 mark of the second half Ollie Jackson (Dallas, Texas/Pinkston ) hit a 3-point shot in the corner to give SFU its first lead of the game.
 
Saint Francis would relinquish the lead and despite early struggles on the free throw line, the team won the game from the charity stripe down the stretch.  The Red Flash scored their final seven points from the free-throw line with five coming from Eatherton.
 
Saint Francis will take a week off for end of the semester exams and return to action Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh with a 7 p.m. tip at the Peterson Event Center.
 
GAME NOTES
- American started the game on a 14-0 run and connected on its first three 3-point attempts.  
 
- The Red Flash controlled the paint with 14 first half points in lane. Both teams each posted 13 first half rebounds. In the game, SFU outscored American, 32-10, in the paint for the game.
 
- Saint Francis turned up the defensive heat in the second half and did not allow the Eagles to record a second half field goal until the 12:58 mark of the second stanza. Combined with their 1:30 field goal drought to end the first half, American went without a field goal for 8:32.
 
- Kameron Ritter posted a career high in assists with five and saw time at the point guard position in the second half for SFU.
 
- Despite going just 2-of-4 early in the game, Stephon Whyatt (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) hit a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds of regulation.
 
- Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) recorded a career high 21 points and again shot the lights out going 6-of-7 from the floor. For the season, the SFU sophomore forward shoots 88.6-percent on his home floor with just five missed shots in six games.
 
-  Eatherton added a career high nine rebounds to his performance.
 
- SFU's bench recorded its fifth game this season with 20 points or more led by Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy)'s 12. Jon Taylor (Bowie, Md./Montgomery College-Germantown) also posted a big night with six points, five rebounds and a steal.
 
- Ollie Jackson (Dallas, Texas/Pinkston ) lit up the nets from behind the 3-point arc going 4-of-5. On the season, the SFU freshman shoots 55.5-percent from 3-point land in DeGol Arena.
 
- The win is the fourth, in the Don Friday era, when SFU was trailing with five minutes to play in regulation.