Flash Points:

• SFU men's basketball meets Wagner on Thursday in Staten Island, N.Y.
• The Red Flash and the Seahawks are set for a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Spiro Sports Center.
• The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row
• Both teams are 4-4 in NEC play, setting up a key conference matchup.
• SFU coaches will be wearing sneakers as part of NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week

SFU Notes | Wagner Notes | NEC Front Row | Live Stats | 3-Point Challenge
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team visits Wagner on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Spiro Sports Center.  The NEC battle will be broadcast on NEC Front Row.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Rob Krimmel, enters the game with a 7-12 record, including 4-4 in the NEC, after a tough 84-83 overtime loss against Central Connecticut State on Saturday.  Sophomore Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) led SFU with 20 points, while freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School), 19 points and 14 rebounds, and sophomore Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes), 15 points and 10 rebounds, each recorded double-doubles.
 
Wagner, coached by Bashir Mason, is 8-10 overall and 4-4 in the NEC, setting up a key conference matchup.  The Seahawks split it's NEC contests last weekend, falling 76-69 at LIU Brooklyn on Thursday and winning 67-62 at Sacred Heart on Saturday.
 
SUITS AND SNEAKERS/3-POINT CHALLENGE
The Saint Francis coaching staff is participating in the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers week to help support cancer research and awareness.  SFU coaches will also be wearing gold shoe laces as part of "Lace Up For Lacey" in honor of Lacey Holsworth, a Michigan State basketball fan who passed away in 2014 after battling cancer. 
 
Saint Francis men's basketball is also participating in the 2017 Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge.  Fans can support the cause by visiting here and pledging an amount of money that will be donated for each three the Red Flash makes from February 1-March 5 (eight games).  Proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society for research and awareness.  SFU is one of several programs around the country participating in the challenge, with the program who raises the most money being crowned the champion of the event.
 
NOTES FROM CCSU
- Sophomore Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) led the Red Flash with 20 points, three assists and a steal.
- Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) recorded his fifth double-double with 19 points, on 8-of-14 shooting, and 14 rebounds to go with two blocks and three steals.
- Sophomore Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) posted his third double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.  He hit all four shot attempts and all seven free throw attempts, while recording two blocks.
- Senior Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) was the fourth SFU player in double-figures with 13 points.
- The Red Flash played its first overtime game this season and just its second one-possession game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash leads the all-time series, 34-33, against Wagner.  The teams split last year's matchups.  SFU won 73-65 at DeGol Arena on January 2, 2016, but fell 69-54 at Wagner on February 25, 2016.
 
NEC LEADERS
Through the first few weeks of conference play, Saint Francis owns the NEC's top offense through 19 games, leading the league in scoring (75.5 ppg), field goal percentage (45.7), three pointers made per game (8.3) and three-point percentage (38.1).  The Red Flash offense features a balanced attack with Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) (13.8), Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) (13.5), Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) (11.8) and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) (11.3) all averaging double-digits in scoring.  SFU is the only NEC team with four players averaging double-figures.  Individually, Nebo tops the conference in blocks, averaging 2.11 per game.
 
FINDING NEBO
Like a lot of opponents this year, Bryant and CCSU found sophomore forward Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) at the rim this past weekend, when he had three and two blocks, respectively.  Nebo has become a force when it comes to protecting the rim.  After posting 59 blocks as a freshman, Nebo has 40 this year, with three in the win over Bryant.  His 99 career blocks are already good for fourth all-time at Saint Francis.  Nebo needs 6 more blocks to tie Earl Brown (2012-15) and Emmanuel Adekunle (1994-98) for third.  His seven blocks at RMU are tied for the 14th-most in a Division I game this year.  Nebo leads NEC with 2.11 blocks per game.
 
In the win over Robert Morris, Nebo added 23 points, on 10-of-12 shooting, and eight rebounds.  According to the NEC's Ron Ratner, Nebo is just the fifth player in Division I since 2010 to post 23 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks and shoot over 80 percent in the same game.  Nebo joins an elite group of players that includes former Kentucky forward and current New Orleans Pelican Anthony Davis.
 
KRIMMEL TIED FOR EIGHTH ON WINS LIST
Saint Francis Head Coach Rob Krimmel picked up his 51st career win on Thursday in SFU's 76-51 victory vs. Bryant.  He is now tied with John Loughran (1920-24) for eighth all-time at Saint Francis and four wins away from tying John Clark (1966-69) for seventh place.
 
ACTION BRAXTON
Braxton has enjoyed an impressive freshman campaign, which continued with his fifth NEC Rookie of the Week award this past week.  He has posted double-digit scoring efforts in 14 games this season and has 10 games with eight or more rebounds.  Braxton has posted fifth double-doubles.  His 19 rebounds against Stony Brook are 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 second among NCAA freshmen in rebounds per game (8.6), only 0.1 rebounds behind UCLA's TJ Leaf.  Braxton averages over a rebound more per game than any other freshman guard in Division I.  The SFU freshman averages 6.6 defensive rebounds per game, the third-most among any Division I guard.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Twelve 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 19 games, the group has combined for 1,255 of the team's 1,439 points (87.2 percent) and 3204 of 3825 minutes (83.8 percent).  Against CCSU, a freshman or sophomore scored 70 of the team's 83 points and the group combined for 192 minutes.
 
BOMBS AWAY
Saint Francis hit 13 threes against Sacred Heart, the fourth time this season hitting 10 or more threes.  SFU hit 10 against Duquesne and Marquette and 19 vs. Chatham.  SFU has hit 8 or more threes in 11 games.  The Red Flash is currently leading the NEC with a 38.1 three-point percentage and 8.3 threes per game.  SFU hit 50 percent of its three attempts (7-of-14) at Robert Morris despite the Colonials entering the game as the fourth best three-point defense in the nation.
 
Sophomore guard Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) leads the team with 40 threes, with senior guard Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) and sophomore Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) right behind with 36 and 26, respectively. 
 
BALANCED ATTACK
The Red Flash has put at least four players in double figures in 12 of 19 games this season and at least three in double figures in 15 games.  SFU had five in double figures in the opener at Saint Bonaventure, while also placing six in double figures against Chatham and five against Robert Morris.
 
King (13.8), Braxton (13.2), Blackmon (11.8) and Nebo (11.3) are all averaging double-figures through 19 games.
 
SMART DEFENSE
Saint Francis has been able to limit its fouls so far this season, averaging only 16.3 fouls per contest.  That ranks 26th in the nation.  SFU opponents attempt only 15.6 free throws per game.
 
ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks are 8-10 overall and 4-4 in the NEC after splitting two games this past weekend.  Wagner dropped a 76-69 at LIU Brooklyn last Thursday, but won 67-62 at Sacred Heart on Saturday.
 
Senior guard Michael Carey led the Seahawks with 22 points and 10 rebounds in Wagner's win on Saturday.  He hit 8-of-13 shots and added two steals.  That was Carey's sixth double-double this season.  Freshman guard Connor Ferrell added 12 points, while senior forward Mike Aaman had 11 points and four rebounds.  Wagner shot 45 percent from the field, but just 17 percent from three.
 
Junior guard Corey Henson is Wagner's top scorer, averaging 13.7 points per game, along with 3.1 assists per game.  He is shooting 40 percent from the field.  Carey averages 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while Aaman contributes 10 points and six boards per contest.  Wagner owns the NEC's top scoring defense, allowing 65.5 points per game.
 
NEXT TIME OUT…
Saint Francis continues NEC play on Saturday as it hosts Robert Morris at 7 p.m. at DeGol Arena.  The Red Flash earned a 77-57 win at Robert Morris on January 12.  The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row with Pat Farabaugh on play-by-play and Bernie Jubeck as color analyst.