Flash Points:

• SFU Men's Basketball fell 78-65 at Marquette on Monday in the Bradley Center.
• The Red Flash showed great effort and resiliency, trailing by only six with under four minutes to go.
• SFU was led by 18 points each by Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) and Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte), with Blackmon hitting four threes.
• The Red Flash is now 3-7 on the year and visits Texas A&M on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. tipoff on SEC Network-Plus.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team fell 78-65 against Marquette on Monday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, but competed well for the entire 40 minutes, showing a lot of toughness and resiliency.  The Red Flash were within six points with under four minutes to go before a hot stretch by Marquette helped the Golden Eagles to seal the win.  Saint Francis is 3-7 this season, while Marquette improved to 8-3.

Today's game was played on the 60th anniversary of the last time the teams met, on December 19, 1956.  SFU won that game, 79-72.  The teams also met in 1952 in the National Catholic Tournament.
 
The Red Flash shot 38 percent from the floor (23-of-60), including 50 percent from three (10-of-20).  SFU shot 41.4 percent in the second half, hitting 12-of-29 shots.
 
Sophomore guards Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) and Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) each had 18 points on the night.  King hit six-of-nine shots and four free throws to go with six rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Blackmon hit four threes and added five rebounds. 
 
Freshman guard Randall Gaskins Jr. had eight points and a team-high five steals, while freshman guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) had seven points, seven rebounds and six assists.  Sophomores Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) and Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)) each had six points, with Meredith hitting a pair of threes.
 
Marquette shot 45 percent for the game (27-of-60), including 43.3 percent from three (13-of-30).  However, SFU held the Golden Eagles to just 35.7 percent shooting in the second half.  While Marquette won the battle on the boards, 36-33, SFU forced 15 turnovers, which led to 21 fastbreak points.
 
Five players scored in double-figures for the Golden Eagles, who only played seven players.  Guard Andrew Rowsey had 22 points, hitting six threes, and four assists.  Haanif Cheatham added 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.  Luke Fischer, Sam Hauser and Jajuan Johnson each had 11 points, with Johnson recording a double-double with 11 rebounds.
 
The Red Flash trailed 44-33 at halftime, but were outscored by only three points, 29-26, over the last 14 minutes of the half.  SFU shot 35 percent (11-of-31), including 50 percent from three (6-of-12), in the half.  King led the Red Flash with 10 points, hitting a pair of threes and four free throws.  Meredith hit two threes, while Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) had five points and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) had four.  Gaskins Jr. collected four steals in the half.
 
The Golden Eagles hit five of their first seven three-point attempts of the first half, jumping out to a 15-7 lead with 14:33 left in the half.  Jajuan Johnson hit a pair of threes, with Haaniff Cheatham, Sam Hauser and Andrew Rowsey each adding one.  Braxton had a three for SFU during the stretch, while Blackmon and Gaskins Jr. each added a basket.
 
A 7-0 run by the Red Flash cut Marquette's lead to six, 22-16, with 8:20 left in the first half.  Blackmon and Meredith each hit threes, with Gaskins Jr. adding a free throw. 
 
Saint Francis closed the half on an 8-3 run over the last 2:06 to bring the game within an 11-point deficit.  King and Meredith each hit a three during the stretch, with King adding two free throws.
 
Marquette outscored Saint Francis by only two points, 34-32, in the second half. 
 
The Red Flash had nine of the game's first 14 points to start the second half, cutting the deficit to seven points, 49-42, in the first four minutes of the second half.  Braxton hit a pair of jumpers, with Blackmon hitting a three and King adding a layup.
 
An 11-2 run by Marquette extended its lead to 62-47 with 11:20 to go.  Cheatham had six of the Golden Eagles' points during the run.  Hauser added a layup and Rowsey closed the run with a three.
 
However, Saint Francis held Marquette without a field goal for the next 7:36, from the 11:20 mark to the 3:44 mark.  Marquette missed nine straight shots and committed two turnovers during the stretch.
 
The Red Flash took advantage by going on a 12-3 run to pull within six, 65-59, with 5:12 to go.  Gaskins Jr. had five points during the run, with a three and a jumper, while King had four, with a jumper and a layup.  Blackmon added a three. 
 
Marquette's Cheatham hit two free throws with 4:13 left, which were answered by two from Blackmon, with 3:44 left, to keep the Red Flash within six, 67-61.
 
However, Marquette broke out of its shooting slump with an 11-2 run, hitting four of its next five shots, with a pair of threes from Hauser, one from Rowsey and a layup by Johnson.  That pushed Marquette's lead back to 15, 78-63, with King driving in for a layup for SFU's final bucket.
 
The Red Flash travels to College Station, Texas on Wednesday, December 21 to face Texas A&M.  Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Reed Arena, with a broadcast on SEC Network-Plus.  It is the first matchup between the schools.