Men's Basketball 12/30/2016 12:49:00 PM Paul Marboe

Men’s Basketball Meets Sacred Heart on Saturday To Continue NEC Opening Weekend

Sophomore F Josh Nebo

Flash Points:

Saint Francis men's basketball visits Sacred Heart for a 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday to continue the opening weekend of NEC play.
The game will be livestreamed on NEC Front Row.
The Red Flash looks for a split to begin NEC play after falling 77-65 at Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday.

SFU Notes | NEC Front Row | Live Stats

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team continues its opening weekend of Northeast Conference play on Saturday when it meets Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on NEC Front Row.

The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Rob Krimmel, enters the game with a 3-9 record and will look for a split to start NEC play after falling 77-65 at Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday. Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) led SFU with 15 points, 13 in the second half, while Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) had 14 points and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Sacred Heart, coached by Anthony Latina, is 5-9 this year after dropping a 78-67 decision against Robert Morris on Thursday. Joseph Lopez led SHU with 23 points and 16 rebounds, with Quincy McKnight adding 18 points.

NOTES FROM FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
- Freshman guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) led the Red Flash with 15 points, with 13 coming in the second half. He hit four-of-seven shots in the second half. Braxton added five rebounds, two assists and three steals.
- Sophomore Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) had 14 points, 11 in the first half, and hit three threes. It was King's third game this season with three or more threes.
- Forward Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. He moved into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time blocks list at SFU and is one away from tying for fourth.
- SFU hit nine threes on the night, its fourth game this year with nine or more threes and eighth with eight or more threes.

SERIES HISTORY
Saint Francis leads the all-time series, 14-13, against the Pioneers. The teams split last year's meetings. The Red Flash won the first game, 84-80, at home on January 4, 2016, but fell 88-78 in the second game on February 27.

NEC LEADERS
Early in conference play, Saint Francis owns the NEC's top offense through 12 games, leading the league in scoring (74.2 ppg), field goal percentage (44.5), three pointers made per game (8.7) and three-point percentage (39.4). The Red Flash offense features a balanced attack with Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) (13.5), Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) (11.2), Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) (10.5) and Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) (10.4) all averages double-digits in scoring. SFU has also been smart on the defensive end, ranking 13th in the nation and first in the league in fewest fouls per game. Individually, Nebo tops the conference in blocks, averaging 1.42 per game.

NEBO'S BLOCK PARTY
Sophomore forward Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) has become a force when it comes to protecting the rim. After posting 59 blocks as a freshman, Nebo has 17 this year, with two coming at Fairleigh Dickinson. His 76 career blocks are already good for fifth all-time at Saint Francis. Nebo is one away from tying Lou Schmitt (1980-84) for fourth place. Nebo leads NEC with 1.42 blocks per game.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Eleven of the seventeen players on the Saint Francis roster are freshman or sophomore eligibility. Of the 16 players who have appeared a game this year, 12 are freshmen or sophomores. Through 12 games, the group has combined for 778 of the team's 890 points (87.4 percent) and 1994 of 2400 minutes (83.1 percent). Against Marquette, a freshman or sophomore scored all 65 points and the group combined for 178 minutes.

BRAXTON ON THE BOARDS
Braxton has enjoyed an impressive freshman campaign, which includes two NEC Rookie of the Week awards. He has posted double-digit scoring efforts in eight games this season and has six games with eight or more rebounds. His 19 rebounds against Stony Brook are the most by an NEC player in a game this season and the 16th-most by any Division I player. That is also the most rebounds by an NEC freshman since Central Connecticut State's Ron Robinson on February 5, 2001 vs. Mount St. Mary's. He is fifth among NCAA freshmen in rebounds per game (8.2), only 0.7 rebounds behind UCLA's TJ Leaf. Braxton averages almost a rebound more per game than any other freshman guard in the country.

BOMBS AWAY
Saint Francis hit 9 threes against Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday, the fourth time this season hitting 9 or more threes. SFU hit 10 against Duquesne, 10 against Marquette and 19 vs. Chatham. The Red Flash is currently 42nd the nation with a 30.4 three-point percentage and leads the NEC, hitting 8.7 three-pointers per game. SFU's 19 against Chatham are the sixth-most in a Division I game this year.

Sophomore guard Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) leads the team with 25 threes, with senior guard Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) right behind with 20. Sophomore Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) and Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)) have 18 and 15, respectively, while freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) has hit nine.

BALANCED ATTACK
The Red Flash has put at least four players in double figures in 6 of 12 games this season and at least three in double figures in nine games. SFU had five in double figures in the opener at Saint Bonaventure.

King (13.6), Nebo (11.2), Braxton (10.8), and Blackmon (10.1) are all averaging double-
figures through 12 games.

NEC OPENERS
After SFU's loss at Fairleigh Dickinson, the Red Flash is 16-20 all-time in NEC openers. The Red Flash is 3-2 in NEC openers under Rob Krimmel.

ABOUT THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers enter Saturday's contest with a 5-9 record after dropping a 78-67 decision at Robert Morris on Thursday.

Junior forward Joseph Lopez led SHU with 23 points and 16 rebounds against the Colonials, hitting 10-of-13 shot attempts. Sophomore guard Quincy McKnight added 18 points, six assists and three steals, while Matej Buovac had 12 points and four boards off the bench.

On the season, McKnight averages a team-best 19 points per game and shoots 43 percent from the floor. He also averages 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. McKnight is the third-leading scorer in the NEC. Lopez averages 13.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest and shoots a league-best 60.3 percent. Buovac contributes 8.4 points per game off the bench. The Pioneers lead the NEC in free-throw percentage at 72.3 percent.

NEXT TIME OUT…
Saint Francis hosts St. Francis Brooklyn and LIU Brooklyn next weekend at DeGol Arena. The Red Flash meets the Terriers on Thursday, January 5 for a 7 p.m. tipoff. SFU then plays the Blackbirds on Saturday, January 7 at 4 p.m.

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