• Saint Francis men's basketball fell 83-70 at NJIT on Wednesday night.
• The Red Flash is now 3-3 on the season.
• Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) each scored 12 points to lead four SFU players who scored in double-digits.
• A 14-2 run by NJIT in the second half broke the game open.
• SFU hosts Binghamton on Saturday at 7 p.m. in DeGol Arena.

NEWARK, N.J. - The Saint Francis men's basketball team placed four players in double-figures but fell 83-70 at NJIT on Wednesday night at the Fleisher Athletic Center.  The Red Flash is now 3-3 on the season, while the Highlanders improved to 4-4.  

Sophomore guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) and sophomore forward Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) each had 12 points to lead Saint Francis.  Nebo hit five-of-seven shot attempts and added four rebounds, while Blackmon was five-of-nine from the field.  Freshmen guards Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) and Randall Gaskins Jr. each added 11 points.  Gaskins, Jr. made five-of-nine shots and added a block and two steals, while Braxton had a team-high eight rebounds to go with four assists, three steals and a block.

The Red Flash shot 46 percent (27-of-59) from the floor, including 38 percent (8-of-21) from three.  Saint Francis had a hot-shooting first half, hitting 15-of-29 shots (52 percent), including five threes.  SFU assisted on 14-of-27 shots made, but were out-rebounded 33-31 and committed 20 turnovers.

NJIT rode a hot-shooting second half to finish 28-of-56 (50 percent) for the game, including 10-of-20 (50 percent) from three.  The Highlanders shot 60 percent (12-of-20) in the second half, including six threes.

Senior guard Tim Coleman led NJIT with 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting, hitting 12-of-14 from the free throw line, and eight rebounds to go with two blocks and two steals.  The Red Flash limited Damon Lynn, who ranks seventh in the nation in scoring, to 18 points, six below his season average.  Lynn hit 6-of-16 shots, including 3-of-10 from three, where he leads the nation hitting 4.7 per game.  

The Red Flash led for 11:43 of the first half, but a three by Lynn at the buzzer gave the Highlanders a 39-38 lead at the break.  SFU took its first lead of the game, 10-9, on a three by Blackmon with 13:54 left in the half.  The Red Flash's advantage reached six points on a pair of free throws by Braxton with 7:31 to go that gave SFU a 28-22 lead.  The free throws by Braxton capped an 11-4 run, which was started on a four-point play by senior guard Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou), who hit a three on the left wing, despite being fouled, and converted the free throw.  Sophomore guard Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) added a three during the run, while Gaskins, Jr. had a layup.  

However, a 9-2 run by NJIT gave the Highlanders a 31-30 lead with 4:41 remaining in the half.  Osa Izevbuwa had five of the nine points during the run.  The Red Flash responded with a short 6-0 run, with a dunk and a tip-in by Nebo and a layup by Gaskins, Jr., to push the lead back to 36-31 SFU with 3:19 left.  NJIT closed the half with threes by Coleman and Lynn to lead at the break.

Blackmon led the Red Flash with nine points in the first half, on four-of-six shooting, while King had eight points, three rebounds and two assists.  Gaskins, Jr. and Nebo each contributed six points.  Coleman led NJIT with 11 points in the half.

A 14-2 run by NJIT early in the second half pushed its lead to 13, 59-46, with 11:15 to go in the game.  Lynn hit two threes during the run, with Izevbuwa and Chris Jenkins also hitting from deep.  SFU answered with a quick 5-0 run, with a three by sophomore guard Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)) and a steal-and-dunk by Braxton, to bring the Red Flash within eight.  

However, a 10-3 run by the Highlanders extended the lead to 15 points, 69-54, with 5:49 to go.  Jenkins and Rob Ukawuba each hit threes during that run.  A layup by Ukawuba, with 4:50 left, gave NJIT its biggest lead of the game, 71-55.  SFU scored nine of the next 13 points, with four points from Nebo, a three by sophomore guard Andre Wolford (Willowick, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) and a layup by Braxton, to bring SFU within 11, 75-64 with two minutes left.

The Red Flash returns to DeGol Arena on Saturday as it hosts Binghamton.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row, with Pat Farabaugh and Bernie Jubeck on the call.