BOX SCORE    POSTGAME WITH DON FRIDAY

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LORETTO, Pa. (Dec. 3, 2011) – The Saint Francis University men's basketball team moved to 2-0 in Northeast Conference play Saturday with a, 73-69, win against Fairleigh Dickinson at DeGol Arena.
 
The Red Flash (2-6, 2-0) battled back from down as many as nine and held on late to knock off the Knights (1-6, 0-2) and stay unbeaten in conference play. Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) and Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) led the Flash with 19 a piece, while Chris Johnson (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) handed out nine assists. FDU's George Goode led all scorers with 21 and all rebounders with 12 but it was not enough.  
 
Both teams started the game shooting the ball well with both team over 50-percnet from the field. After FDU took an early lead, the Red Flash received a spark from bench performers Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) and Jon Taylor (Bowie, Md./Montgomery College-Germantown). Eatherton found himself in early foul trouble and as a result of the nation's most efficient scorers was limited to just seven minutes in the first half. The Red Flash bench stepped up with 22 first half points led by 12 from Ervin. Despite success early in the quarter, SFU struggled in the latter part of the first half from the free throw line and went just 6-of-13 from the free throw line in the first half. The Knights used the Flashes' missed opportunities to turn a 22-point tie game into a 33-25 lead thanks to an 11-3 run over 3:57. The Red Flash battled back with defense and cut the FDU lead to just four entering the half, 40-36, thanks to a field goal just before intermission from Tony Peters (Roselle, N.J./Seton Hall Prep).
 
The well-rested Eatherton jump started the SFU offense to start the second half and quickly got the cut into the deficient. The junior picked up his third foul of the game quickly but with the momentum propelled the SFU offense and continued to execute efficiently. Ervin added a pair of big bucket and gave SFU its first lead of the second half.  Following a slow start to the game, Ollie Jackson (Dallas, Texas/Pinkston ) came alive late in the second half scoring or assisting on three consecutive baskets for the Flash and extending SFU's lead to eight.
 
The Knights refused to go away and battled back and cut the lead to as few as one. With under 30-seconds to play, Peters found himself on the free throw line looking to extend SFU lead to four but the junior missed the pair but Ervin came up with a big offensive rebound. FDU then fouled the junior and Ervin hit the pair and FDU responded with a great baseline layup from George to bring the lead down to just three.
 
On the ensuing inbounds play, Johnson got the ball and was quickly fouled. The junior went to the line and missed the first and hit the second shot to make it a four-point differential with two seconds left. It was the junior's first point of the game and sealed the win for the Flash.   
 
The Red Flash return to non-conference and road action Wednesday as the travel to Lehigh for a 7 p.m tip.
 
GAME NOTES
- Saint Francis lived on the free throw line early with five of SFU's first nine points coming from the free throw stripe.
 
- Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) extended his streak of consecutive makes without a miss to eight until missing his second attempt of the second half.
 
- Ervin poured in 12 points as a reserve in the first half, marking his third consecutive game of double digit scoring off the bench for the Flash.
 
- The Red Flash have shot 50-percent or better from the field in their past six halves at home and have shot under 50-percent in just one half at home this season. Jon Taylor (Bowie, Md./Montgomery College-Germantown) posted double-digits off the bench for the third time in four games
 
- Chris Johnson (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) put his distribution skill on display in the first half handing out five first frame helpers.
 
- Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) went 8-of-9 from the floor against FDU and is now 33-of-37 (89.2-percent) from the floor at home.
 
- Eatherton fouled out for the third time this season but for just the first time at home.
 
- SFU starts 2-0 in conference play for the second time under head coach Don Friday. The Red Flash have never lost to FDU in Loretto, under Don Friday.
 
- Everytime since 2000 that SFU has started 2-0 in NEC play the Flash have finished the season .500 or better in league play.