BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team overcame a sluggish start to push the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers into the second half, but the Terriers pulled away late to earn a 73-56 victory over the Red Flash in NEC action Thursday night.

The Terriers (5-11, 1-2 NEC) attained their first double-digit lead just over seven minutes into action when two Josh Nurse free throws made it 16-6. That lead expanded to as many as 16 points on two occasions later in the half, with the second coming on two more Nurse free throws to make it 31-15 with 5:53 to play.

SFU (6-8, 2-1 NEC) turned the tables in the remainder of the half. After scoring just 15 points in the first 14-plus minutes of game action, SFU scored 16 in the final 5:29. Greg Brown (Odenton, Md./Archbishop Spalding) scored 12 of those points in a variety of ways. He hit a three, made five free throws and added a jumper and a layup. When Ronnie Drinnon (Jamestown, Ohio/Greenview) hit two free throws with 0.6 seconds left in the half, SFU had trimmed the lead all the way down to a very manageable five points, 36-31.

Brown finished with a game-high 19 points and added four rebounds and three steals. Drinnon had another double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds. That's his fifth of the season and 10^th of his career.

The Flash cut further into that Terrier lead in the second half. Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) scored four quick points, and Drinnon's jumper with 16:54 left had the Flash to within a point at 38-37. But the Flash couldn't get a lead. The score stayed at 38-37 for more than a minute and a half as SFU came up empty on two offensive trips.

The lead expanded back to seven points on a Chris Hooper layup with 11:02 to play to make it 48-41, but a three from Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) and a layup from Brown had it back to a one-possession game. Basil Thompson (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter)'s jumper with 7:50 left brought the Flash back to within 51-49, the last time SFU would be so close. A 10-2 run following that bucket put the game out of reach.

Blackmon hit double figures for the sixth time in his rookie season with 10 points, and Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell) scored the first five points of his collegiate career. The Red Flash was looking for its first 3-0 start in NEC play since the 2002-03 season. A comeback win for the Flash would have been its first win when trailing at halftime and also when trailing by 10-plus points since winning at Rutgers in Dec. 2014.

Saint Francis continues its road trip with a game at LIU Brooklyn on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. following the Red Flash women's game against the Blackbirds.