BOX SCORE Flash Points:
- SFU Men's Basketball earned a 73-64 win over Sacred Heart on Thursday at DeGol Arena for its 10th win in NEC play.
- The Red Flash is now 13-15 overall and 10-7 in the NEC.
- SFU clinched a Top Five seed in next week's NEC Tournament and can clinch the fourth seed, and a home game in the quarterfinals, with a win on Saturday against Fairleigh Dickinson.
- Freshman Randall Gaskins Jr. led five SFU players in double-figures with 13 points.
- Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) recorded his eighth double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou), Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) each had 12 points.
- Nebo added four blocks and is now one away from tying the SFU single-season record held by Melvin Scott (70, 2000-01).
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Men's Basketball used a balanced scoring effort to earn a 73-64 win over Sacred Heart on Thursday at DeGol Arena. The Red Flash maintained at least a seven point lead throughout the second half to seal the victory. Saint Francis improved to 13-15 overall and 10-7 in the NEC, while Sacred Heart dropped to 13-17 overall and 8-9 in conference play.
With the win, the Red Flash clinched a Top Five seed in next week's NEC Tournament. A win against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday would clinch at least a Top Four seed and give SFU the opportunity to host a quarterfinal game for the first time since the 1990-91 season. SFU reached 10 wins in conference play for the first time since 2004-05. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, with a broadcast on NEC Front Row.
The Red Flash placed five players in double-figures on the night. Freshman Randall Gaskins Jr. led SFU with 13 points, on five-of-nine shooting, four rebounds and two steals. Fellow rookie
Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 11 points, including seven-of-nine from the free throw line, and 12 rebounds to go with two assists, two blocks and a steal.
Sophomore
Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) had 12 points, making five-of-nine shots, nine rebounds and four blocks. Nebo now has 69 blocks this season, just one behind the SFU single-season record set by Melvin Scott in 2000-01. Nebo is also nine blocks away from Scott's career record (137, 1996-01).
Senior
Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) tallied 12 points off the bench, matching a career-high with four threes, and added seven assists and two steals. Sophomore
Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) contributed 12 points and six rebounds.
The Red Flash shot 44 percent for the game, making 26-of-59 from the field. SFU hit 10-of-25 from three (40 percent) and went 11-of-16 from the free throw line (69 percent). SFU shot 43 percent in the first half and 46 percent in the second half. SFU won the battle on the glass, 41-39, and assisted on 14 of its 26 made shots.
Sacred Heart hit 34 percent of its shots, going 21-of-62 from the floor. The Pioneers were 4-of-21 from three (19 percent) and 18-of-23 from the foul line (78 percent). SHU shot 32 percent in the first half and 35 percent in the second half. SHU forced 18 SFU turnovers, turning those into 19 points.
Sophomore Quincy McKnight led the Pioneers with 18 points, making 5-of-13 looks, three rebounds and two steals. Junior Joseph Lopez had 17 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting 6-of-12 from the floor. Junior De'von Barnett had 14 points, on 7-of-10 shooting, five boards, two blocks and two steals.
The Red Flash led 41-31 at halftime. Saint Francis took control with a 22-2 run during the half, which included 17 straight SFU points. The Red Flash shot 43 percent in the half, making 15-of-35 shots, including eight threes as SFU made 47 percent from beyond the arc. SFU was three-of-five from the free throw line.
Angelou and sophomore
Andre Wolford (Willowick, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) led Saint Francis with nine points each in the half, with both players coming off the bench. Angelou made three-of-six attempts from beyond the arc and added five assists and two steals. Wolford hit his first three triples of the game. Blackmon, Braxton and Gaskins, Jr. each had seven points in the half, with Braxton pulling down eight rebounds.
After Braxton hit two free throws to open the game, the Pioneers went on a 14-0 run, which concluded with 14:13 left in the half. Lopez had six points during the run, with three jumpers, while McKnight also contributed six points with a three and hitting three free throws after being fouled on a three attempt. Barnett added a layup.
After a three by SHU's Chris Robinson gave the Pioneers a 20-10 advantage with 12:25 to go in the half, Saint Francis responded with a 22-2 run, with SFU scoring the first 17 points of the run. The stretch began with a jumper by Blackmon. SFU then hit threes on three straight possessions, with Wolford hitting two and Angelou knocking down one. Nebo then hit a jumper before Braxton made a layup. A tip-in by Nebo pushed the SFU lead to 27-20. After a layup by Barnett, Gaskins converted a layup and Angelou hit a three to extend the Red Flash lead to 32-22 with 5:15 remaining in the half.
The Pioneers scored seven of the game's next 10 points to cut their deficit to 35-29 with 3:42 left in the half. Robinson converted a three-point play, hitting a free throw after being fouled on a layup. Sean Hoehn and McKnight each added two free throws. Wolford then hit a three for SFU, answered by a layup by McKnight. A three by Angelou with five seconds left in the half gave SFU a 10-point advantage going into the break.
Both teams scored eight points in the first four minutes of the second half with SHU's Barnett making a layup with 15:43 to go in the game, with SFU leading 49-39. SFU then scored eight of the game's next 11 points to take its largest lead of the game, 57-42 with 11:11 left. A jumper by King started the run, which continued on a free throw by Gaskins Jr. Nebo then hit a jumper before Angelou connected on a three.
Sacred Heart responded with a 9-2 run to bring the game back within single-digits, 59-51, with 8:28 left. Lopez scored the first five points of the run, hitting two free throws before converting an and-one after being fouled on a layup. Charles Tucker knocked down two free throws before Barnett made another layup.
The teams traded two-point possessions for the next six minutes before a three by Gaskins Jr. pushed the SFU lead to 11 points, 70-59, with 1:20 left. One free throw by Blackmon and two by Braxton helped to close out the victory.
