ALBANY, N.Y. – Albany used a 42-16 advantage on points in the paint and 21 second chance points on 15 offensive rebound to defeat the Saint Francis men's basketball team, 65-58, at SEFCU Arena on Saturday night. Senior Greg Brown (Odenton, Md./Archbishop Spalding) finished with season highs in points with 23 and assists with five.

Saint Francis (4-6) made two lengthy runs during the game as it looked to defeat the Great Danes for the second straight year. The first of those runs came straight off the opening tip. Ronnie Drinnon (Jamestown, Ohio/Greenview) scored six points in the first 3:25 and Brown added a three pointer as the Flash jumped ahead, 9-0, before the first media timeout. Drinnon finished with 11 points and seven rebounds before fouling out late in the game.

Albany (8-4), the three-time defending America East champions, went on a 17-4 run to take the lead midway through the first half. That's when things took a turn from the ordinary.

Buzzers echoed and exit signs flashed throughout SEFCU Arena, and the game was halted for 45 minutes while the arena was evacuated for safety with 6:55 remaining in the first half and Albany leading, 27-20. Saint Francis was evacuated through the main concourse and into a neighboring building where it waited in an auxiliary locker room.

"I try not to worry about things I can't control," head coach Rob Krimmel said. "The things we could control were our focus and intensity coming back, and I was proud with the way we responded to finish the first half."

Once the issue was resolved, Evan Singletary hit a three pointer to make it 30-20 with 5:34 to play in the half to give the Great Danes their largest lead of the night. That ended Albany's run and began Saint Francis' second push. SFU scored 12 of the final 16 points of the first half to head into intermission trailing by just a bucket, 34-32. Drinnon and Ben Millaud-Meunier (Montreal, Quebec/Vanier) jumpstarted that run with three pointers on back-to-back possessions. Millaud-Meunier had 10 points, his fifth-straight effort in double figures.

The Flash push continued into the second half. Brown hit a jumper on the opening possession to tie the score at 34, and Millaud-Meunier hit another three to give the Flash a 37-36 lead with 17:40 to play. But the Flash offense hit a road block after that make. Brown scored eight of the Flash's next 10 points, but it came over a span of 14:51. By the time Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) hit a three pointer with 2:50 to play in regulation, Albany had retaken the lead and built it back into double digits. Angelou's shot made it 62-50.

Despite the cold shooting on the offensive end, the SFU defense buckled down for a majority of the stretch. After Mike Rowley's basket to make it 49-44 with 12:15 remaining, neither team scored for the next 4:05. Brown countered another bucket by Albany with a three pointer to make it 51-47. Albany then went on an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach.

Brown's 23 points were just one shy of his career high, set in last season's NEC Tournament quarterfinal victory at Mount St. Mary's. Saint Francis went 4-for-4 from the free throw line, by far its fewest attempts of the season. The previous season low was 16 at Maryland earlier this month. Albany went 17-for-25 from the line.

The Red Flash breaks for Christmas and will conclude non-conference play at home against NJIT on Dec. 30.