Flash Points:

• SFU men's basketball takes on LIU Brooklyn on Saturday at the Steinberg Wellness Center.
• Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
• Both teams are 7-4 in NEC play and tied for third in the conference standings, setting up a key conference matchup.
• SFU is coming off a 78-61 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday.

SFU Notes | NEC Front Row | Live Stats | 3-Point Challenge
 
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team battles LIU Brooklyn on Saturday in a very important NEC matchup.  Both teams enter with 7-4 records in the NEC and are tied for third in the conference standings.  Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Steinberg Wellness Center, with a broadcast on NEC Front Row.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Rob Krimmel, enters the game with a 10-12 record, and a three-game win streak, after a 78-61 win at St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday.  Sophomore Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) posted his fifth double-double of the season, with a career-high 24 points and 11 rebounds.  Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) recorded his sixth double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
 
LIU Brooklyn is 14-10 overall, and looking to get back on track after losing three of its last four games, after falling 67-63 against Robert Morris on Thursday.  Senior Jerome Frink led the Blackbirds with 22 points and eight rebounds.
 
3-POINT CHALLENGE
Saint Francis men's basketball is 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 ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
- Sophomore Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) posted his fifth double-double of the season, with a career-high 24 points, on 8-of-13 shooting, including four dunks, and went eight-of-nine from the free throw line. Nebo added 11 rebounds and a block.
- With the block, Nebo moved into a tie for second-place all-time at SFU with his 109th career block.
- Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) recorded his sixth double-double this year with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
- Sophomore Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) had 18 points, including 10 in the second half.
- SFU earned its fourth NEC road win this season.
- The Red Flash swept the regular-season series against the Terriers for the first time since 2007-08.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash trails the all-time series, 37-35, against LIU Brooklyn after falling 83-70 at home on Saturday, January 7.  SFU led 40-38 at halftime, but the Blackbirds shot 54 percent in the second half to take and keep the lead.
 
BLACKMON EARNS NEC WEEKLY HONOR
Saint Francis sophomore Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) was named NEC Player of the Week on Monday.  In two wins last week, he averaged 22.5 points, five rebounds and went 8-of-10 from three.  He scored a career-high 25 points in SFU's 72-67 win at Wagner last Thursday.  He scored 14 points in the second half, including 9 of SFU's last 13 points.  In SFU's overtime win over RMU, Blackmon tallied 20 points, including a go-ahead three with 27 seconds to go in OT.  In NEC play, Blackmon is averaging a team-best 16.7 points while shooting 52 percent from the field, 61 percent from three and 86 percent from the free throw line.
 
NEC LEADERS
At the midway point of conference play, Saint Francis owns the NEC's top offense through 22 games, leading the league in scoring (76.1 ppg), field goal percentage (45.7), three pointers made per game (8.2) and three-point percentage (38.6).  The Red Flash offense features a balanced attack with Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) (13.2), Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) (13.0), Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) (13.0) and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) (12.0) 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 2.27 per game, and Blackmon leads in three-point percentage at 50.7.
 
NEBO TIED FOR SECOND ON ALL-TIME BLOCKS LIST
Like a lot of opponents this year, Robert Morris found sophomore forward Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) at the rim this past weekend, when he had six blocks.  Nebo has become a force when it comes to protecting the rim.  After posting 59 blocks as a freshman, Nebo has 50 this year.  His 108 career blocks are already good for third all-time at Saint Francis, recently passing Earl Brown (105, 2012-15) and Emmanuel Adekunle (105, 1994-98) for third.  He is just one block behind Jerry Mack (1985-89) for second place.  His seven blocks at RMU are tied for the 14th-most in a Division I game this year.  Nebo leads NEC with 2.33 blocks per game and ranks 25th in the nation in total blocks.
 
In SFU's win at Robert Morris on January 12, 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 MOVES INTO EIGHTH ON WINS LIST
Saint Francis Head Coach Rob Krimmel picked up his 54th career win on Thursday in SFU's 78-61 victory at St. Francis Brooklyn.  He now sits one 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 last week.  He has posted double-digit scoring efforts in 15 games this season and has 12 games with eight or more rebounds.  Braxton has posted six 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 leads all NCAA freshmen in rebounds per game (9.0).  Braxton averages 1.9 more rebounds per game than any other freshman guard in Division I.  The SFU freshman averages 6.9 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 22 games, the group has combined for 1,464 of the team's 1,678 points (87.2 percent) and 3767 of 4450 minutes (84.6 percent).  Against SFBK, a freshman or sophomore scored 69 of the team's 78 points and the group combined for 181 minutes.
 
BOMBS AWAY
Saint Francis hit 10 threes against Wagner, the fifth time this season hitting 10 or more threes.  SFU hit 10 against Duquesne, Marquette and Sacred Heart and 19 vs. Chatham.  SFU has hit 8 or more threes in 12 games.  The Red Flash is currently leading the NEC with a 38.6 three-point percentage and 8.2 threes per game.  SFU hit 50 percent of its three attempts in both of its meetings vs. Robert Morris despite the Colonials entering the games ranked among the top four three-point defenses in the nation.
 
Senior Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) leads the team with 44 threes, with sophomores Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) and Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) right behind with 42 and 36, respectively.
 
BALANCED ATTACK
The Red Flash has put at least four players in double figures in 14 of 21 games this season and at least three in double figures in 18 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.
 
Blackmon (13.2), Braxton (13.0), King (13.0) and Nebo (12.0) are all averaging double-figures through 22 games.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
Saint Francis has won four NEC road games this year, marking the ninth time in program history that SFU has earned four NEC road wins in a season, winning four of its first six road contests in conference play.  SFU won four NEC road games last season, but has not reached five NEC road wins in a season since 1997-98 and has accomplished that feat just three times. 
 
ABOUT THE BLACKBIRDS
The Blackbirds are 14-10 overall and 7-4 in NEC play after falling 67-63 against Robert Morris on Thursday.  LIU is looking to get back on track after losing three of its last four games in conference play.
 
Senior Jerome Frink led the Blackbirds with 22 points, on 9-of-19 shooting, and eight rebounds.  Senior Iverson Fleming added 15 points, including four threes, while junior Nura Zanna contributed 13 points and six rebounds.  The Blackbirds shot 39 percent from the floor, but went 7-of-12 from three (58 percent). 
 
On the season, Frink is averaging a team-best 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 49 percent from the field. Fleming is averaging 13.4 points per game, with 36 made threes, while freshman Jashaun Agosto is averaging 10.8 points and a team-best 2.9 assists per contest.  Zanna is averaging 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
 
NEXT TIME OUT…
Saint Francis returns to DeGol Arena on Thursday to host Wagner at 7 p.m.  The game will be broadcast on Root Sports Pittsburgh (Tape Delay), MSG Network+ and Fox College Sports.