BOX SCORE Loretto, Pa. - The Saint Francis men's basketball (6-6, 0-1 NEC) erased an 18-point deficit over the final 5:58 to tie the ball game at 68-68 with 1:48 only to watch the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (8-6, 1-0 NEC) squeak out a 72-68 win in the game's final moments of both teams' conference openers.

Krimmel's Reaction 

"I thought the first half was our worst half of basketball all season and that falls on me as a head coach for not having the guys ready to play," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "I was proud of the resolve we showed to comeback and tie the game, but at the end of the day, CCSU was the better team over the course of the 40 minutes and deserve full credit for the win."

Turning Point

Trailing 66-48 with 5:58 to play, Saint Francis rattled off a 20-2 run over a 3:53 stretch. Sophomore Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) scored six of his game-high 18 points during the stretch, including steals and layups on consecutive possessions, and junior Andre Wolford (Willowick, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) added eight points. His transition layup plus the foul and made free throw tied the game at 68-68 with 1:48 to play. The Red Flash forced a missed shot on the ensuing possession but CCSU's Joe Hugley secured the rebound and was fouled on his putback attempt. After he sank both free throws, junior Jamaal KIng had two good looks from three-point range to give SFU its first lead of the game, but both attempts were off the mark with :58 and :30 seconds remaining. Saint Francis had one final chance after Wolford secured the rebound on a missed front end of a one-and-one but King was whistled for a charge with six seconds left. Mustafa Jones then iced the game for the Blue Devils with a dunk in the final seconds.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Francis couldn't shake off the rust from its Christmas break in the first half, shooting just 27.6% from the field over the first 20 minutes, its second worst percentage in a half all season. The Red Flash trailed 35-21 at the half. The 21 points the lowest total in a half all season by a full nine points.
• Saint Francis responded to shoot 19-35 (54.3%) in the second half and 27-64 (42.2%) for the game. The Blue Devils shot 29-51 (56.9%) for the game.
• Saint Francis connected on 9-of-26 tries from behind the arc (34.6%) while CCSU made 5-of-13 (38.5%) triples.
• Saint Francis forced 17 CCSU turnovers, converting them into 21 points. Braxton was specifically active on defense with a career-high seven steals, the most by a Saint Francis player since Darshan Luckey had seven vs. Howard on Nov. 19, 2004.
• Rebounds were 34-26 for CCSU and the Blue Devils outscored Saint Francis 42-34 in the paint.

Notes

• Junior Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)) made 4-of-7 three-pointers off the bench for 14 points, his second game in double figures this season.
• King added 14 points, all in the second half. 
• Braxton, the reigning NEC Player of the week finished with a final line of 18 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals and four assists.
• Wolford chipped in with 13 points, 11 of which came after halftime. 
• The Red Flash are now 2-6 on the road this season and a perfect 4-0 at home.
• Saint Francis failed to reach 70 points for the first time in its last four games. The Red Flash are 0-4 when held under 70.

Up Next 

The Red Flash have an opportunity to get back in the win column this Sunday, Dec. 31, at Bryant at 3 p.m.