GAME NOTES

On Deck!
Saint Francis will open a critical two-game road swing, its last of the regular season, when it visits Monmouth at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday night. It is a pivotal Northeast Conference match-up as the Red Flash currently hold the eighth, and final, spot for the upcoming league tournament. However, Sacred Heart and Monmouth are just one game behind in the standings. SFU will play its final regular season road game of the season when it visits Fairleigh Dickinson at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Both games can be heard live on The EDGE?1400 AM (Loretto, Pa.) and The EDGE 850 AM (Johnstown, Pa.), and a link to listen will be available at www.myedgeradio.com.

On The Horizon
Saint Francis will return to DeGol Arena for its final two regular season home games of the 2010-11 campaign. The Red Flash will host Wagner at 7 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 24) before honoring Mislav Jukic (Zagreb, Crotia/Life Center Acadamy) and Sorena Orandi (Vastra Frolunda, Sweden/Solebury Prep) during Senior Day against Mount St. Mary's at 7 p.m. on Saturday?(Feb. 26).

Playoff Picture
With four regular season games remaining, Saint Francis would qualify for the Northeast Conference playoffs if they started today. However, the Red Flash have some work to do. They are currently in eighth place (Bryant is not eligible for the postseason), and one game ahead of Sacred Heart and Monmouth. SFU owns any tie-breaker with the Pioneers due to its victory on Jan. 27. First-place Long Island (12-2 NEC) and second-place Central Connecticut State (10-4) are the only two NEC teams to qualify for the postseason at this point.

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 Northeast Conference (NEC) is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Football (formerly Division I-AA) and to Division I Sports for all other sports. Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro Conference, member schools changed the conference name beginning in 1989. Participating schools come from the northeastern United States. The Northeast Conference has expanded seven times since 1981. The expansions were in 1985, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2008. The additions from the original charter members were Monmouth, Mount Saint Mary's, Central Connecticut State, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart and Bryant. The Northeast Conference has a total of twelve members in 23 championship sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's bowling, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and women's soccer, softball, women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball. Men's lacrosse became the league's 23rd sport in the spring of 2011.

Series vs. Monmouth
This will be the second meeting of the season, and 52nd in the series, between Saint Francis and Monmouth. The Red Flash defeated the Hawks, 70-54, back on Jan. 13, at DeGol Arena. However, Monmouth has won four of the last six meetings and has a 32-19 lead in the all-time series,which began in the 1984-85 season.

Sizing Up The Hawks
Monmouth has won two straight games to pick up momentum heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. With their two wins, the Hawks have crawled into the thick of the Northeast Conference playoff hunt. They are 8-18 overall, and 4-10 in the league. Monmouth ranks 11th in the NEC in scoring (60.6 ppg) but, as always, rank near the top in scoring defense (second at 65.8 ppg allowed). The Hawks' .414 field goal percentage defense is also tops in the league. Mike Myers Keitt leads Monmouth with 9.5 ppg and 31 three-pointers on the season. Ed Waite is second with 9.3 ppg, and leads the team with a 5.8 rpg average. Will Campbell and Jesse Steele average 8.6 ppg and 8.5 ppg, respectively.

Inside The Box Score
Saint Francis dropped its fifth straight game in on Saturday night versus Robert Morris. Here is an in-depth look and some notes from the box score:
- Saint Francis shot above 50.0 percent (.543) from the field for the fifth time this season. It's .543 field goal percentage represents the best of the season.
- SFU had a season-high 10 team steals.
- The Red Flash scored above 70 points for the sixth time in the last 10 games.
- Saint Francis has shot above 40.0 percent from the field in 11 straight games.

- Sophomore Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the second half. He had career highs with 10 field goals and 19 field goal attempts, and tied his career-high of five 3-pointers for the second straight game.
- Sophomore Chris Johnson (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) had 13 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
- Sophomore Will Felder (Cleveland, OH/Lutheran East Hs) moved into a tie for 10th (Bassirou Dieng) with 58 career blocks. His 32 blocks this season are tied for seventh (Lou Schmitt) in a single-season at SFU.

Shannon is Shining
Sophomore Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) is developing into one of the top scorers in the Northeast Conference. He is putting together a month to remember in averaging 21.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg over his last nine games. Shannon is shooting 53.2 percent from the field (59-of-11), 50.0 percent from long distance (29-of-58) and 81.8 percent from the stripe (45-of-55) during that time. He has reached 20 points in seven of the nine games, including a career-high 30 points at Sacred Heart. Shannon's 57 three-pointers this season are the most for a Red Flash player since Cale Nelson had 57 in 2007-08.

Growing Pains
As one of the youngest Division I teams in the country, Saint Francis is suffering through some growing pains as head coach Don Friday 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 62.4 percent (3133 of 5025) 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 84.5 percent (4244 of 5025) of the minutes played are being contributed by first or second-year Division I players.

Super Sophomores
As previously mentioned, Saint Francis' five sophomores are putting in significant minutes this season. SFU has started first/second-year players in 19 of its 25 games this season, and the five second-year players have contributed 3133 of 5025 possible minutes (62.4 percent) thus far. Most of the team's production is also coming from the five players. Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) Will Felder (Cleveland, OH/Lutheran East Hs), Chris Johnson (Newport News, Va./Denbigh), Tony?Peters and Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) have scored 1117 of 1615 points and have pulled down 417 of 793 rebounds, accounting for 69.2 percent of the team's offense and 52.6 percent of its rebounds.

Moving On Up
Sophomore forward Will Felder (Cleveland, OH/Lutheran East Hs) has played in 55 career games, and has already moved into Saint Francis' all-time leaders in blocks. The Cleveland, Ohio native rejected 26 shots in 30 games as a freshman, and already has 32 blocks in 25 games this season, which ranks sixth in the NEC (1.28 bpg). Felder's 58 career blocks moved into a tie for 10th with Bassirou Dieng (2006-08), and his 32 blocks this season are tied for seventh for a single season at SFU. Here is a look at other former Red Flash players within reach for Felder this season:
Saint Francis All-Time Blocks Leaders
1. Melvin Scott (1996-01) 137
6. Jason Osborne (2001-05) 71
7. Tom Bennetch (1987-91) 61
8. Jelani Lawrence (2005-07) 59
8. Mike Fink (1989-92) 59
10. Will Felder (Cleveland, OH/Lutheran East Hs) (2009-present) 58
10. Bassirou Dieng (2006-08) 58
12. Jeff Hamilton (1981-85) 52

Saint Francis Single-Season Blocks Leaders
1. Melvin Scott (2000-01) 70
2. Jerry Mack (1986-87) 43
3. Jelani Lawrence (2005-06) 36
4. Jerry Mack (1985-86) 35
4. Emmanuel Adekunle (1997-98) 35
6. Reggie Lewis (1992-93) 33
7. Will Felder (Cleveland, OH/Lutheran East Hs) (2010-11) 32
7. Lou Schmitt (1982-83) 32
9. Emmanuel Adekunle (1995-96) 30
10. Bassirou Dieng (2007-08) 29
10. Emmanuel Adekunle (1996-97) 29
12. Bassirou Dieng (2006-07) 28
12. Jason Osborne (2004-05) 28
12. Jason Osborne (2003-04) 28

One Point Wins
With their 70-69 heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss against Bryant on Feb. 5, the Red Flash dropped to 19-11 all-time in one-point games at DeGol Arena. Saint Francis has a 308-194 record (.614) all-time at DeGol Arena, which opened in 1972-73.