Flash Points:

• SFU Men's Basketball hosts Bryant tonight in the NEC Quarterfinals.
• Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
• SFU is the No. 4 seed in the NEC Tournament, matching up against the No. 5 seed Bryant.
• SFU is hosting its first NEC Tournament game under the current tournament format, installed in 2002.
• The Red Flash finished 11-7 in NEC play in the regular season.

SFU Notes | Bryant Notes | NEC Front Row | Live Stats | 3-Point Challenge | All-NEC Release | Altoona Mirror Feature
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team hosts Bryant on Wednesday in the NEC Quarterfinals.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at DeGol Arena, with a broadcast on NEC Front Row with Pat Farabaugh, play-by-play, and Bernie Jubeck, color analyst, on the call. 
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Rob Krimmel, is the No. 4 seed in the NEC Tournament after finishing the regular season with a 14-15 overall record, including 11-7 in the NEC.  SFU is hosting its first NEC Tournament game under the current NEC Tournament format, installed in 2002.  SFU closed the regular season with a 70-64 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
 
Bryant, coached by Tim O'Shea, the No. 5 seed in the NEC Tournament, is 12-19 overall and 9-9 in conference play.  Bryant defeated CCSU, 91-77, to finish the regular season.
 
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.
 
NEC HONORS
On Tuesday, the NEC All-Conference teams and major awards were announced.  Sophomore Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Year.  Nebo leads the conference with 2.4 blocks per game.  Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) was selected NEC Rookie of the Year after finishing the regular season just one NEC Rookie of the Week award shy of tying the conference record.  Braxton is averaging 13.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Braxton was also named Second Team All-NEC while Nebo was selected Third Team.  Sophomore Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) joined Nebo on the third team.  Blackmon is averaging 13.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
 
NOTES FROM FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
- Sophomore Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) led the Red Flash with 20 points, his fourth 20-point game of the season, including four threes and five rebounds.
- Fellow sophomore Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) filled the stat-sheet with 16 points, four rebounds, six assists, two blocks and three steals.
- Sophomore Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) had 11 points and 12 rebounds, his sixth double-double this year.  He has 69 blocks this season, one away from tying the SFU single-season record held by Melvin Scott (2000-01).
- Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) had nine points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
- SFU reached 11 NEC wins for the first time since 1995-96.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash trails the all-time series, 8-7.  SFU snapped a four-game win streak in the series with a 79-75 loss at Bryant on February 18.
 
NEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Red Flash is hosting its first NEC Tournament game under the current tournament format. SFU last hosted an NEC Tournament game in 1995-96, a play-in game against St. Francis Brooklyn.  This is SFU's first NEC Quarterfinal or later round-game since 1991, when it won the NEC Title.  SFU is 9-22 all-time in the tournament and 4-16 in NEC Quarterfinals games.  The Red Flash is 2-1 in the NEC Quarterfinals under Rob Krimmel, including a 55-54 win at Bryant in the 2014 Quarterfinal.
 
NEBO NEARING BLOCKS RECORD
Like a lot of opponents this year, Sacred Heart found sophomore forward Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) at the rim on Thursday, when he had four blocks.  Nebo has become a force when it comes to protecting the rim.  After posting 59 blocks as a freshman, Nebo has 69 this year. He is just one away from tying Melvin Scott (2000-01) for the SFU single-season record.  Nebo's 128 career blocks rank second all-time at SFU and Nebo is just nine blocks away from tying the program record held by Scott (137, 1996-01).  Nebo has four games with five or more blocks this year.  Nebo leads NEC with 2.4 blocks per game and ranks 21st in the nation in total blocks and 22nd in blocks per game.
 
ACTION BRAXTON
Braxton's impressive freshman campaign was rewarded with his NEC Rookie of the Year award.  He has posted double-digit scoring efforts in 20 games this season and has 16 games with eight or more rebounds.  Braxton has posted eight double-doubles, the fourth-most of any Division I freshmen.  He leads all NCAA freshmen in rebounds per game (8.8) with UCLA's T.J. Leaf.  Braxton averages two more rebounds per game than any other freshman guard in Division I.  The SFU freshman averages 6.7 defensive rebounds per game, the third-most among any Division I guard.
 
NEC LEADERS
Saint Francis played its entire regular season conference schedule owning the NEC's top offense, leading the league in scoring (75.4 ppg), field goal percentage (45.9), three pointers made per game (7.9) and three-point percentage (38.1).  The Red Flash offense features a balanced attack with Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) (13.1), Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) (13.0), Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) (12.4) and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) (12.1) 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 2.4 per game, and Blackmon leads in three-point percentage at 48.5.
 
SFU SETS PROGRAM NEC ROAD WINS RECORD
Saint Francis won its sixth NEC road game of the season on February 16 at CCSU.  The 2016-17 team is the first ever in program-history to win six NEC road game in a season since joining the conference in 1981-82.  This year's team passed the five NEC road win campaigns of the 1990-91, 1993-94 and 1997-98 squads. 
 
BALANCED ATTACK
The Red Flash has put at least four players in double figures in 18 of 27 games this season and at least three in double figures in 25 games.  SFU placed five players in double-figures against SHU, marking the fifth time this season it has accomplished that.  SFU had five in double figures in the opener at Saint Bonaventure, while also placing six in double figures against Chatham and five against CCSU, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart.
 
Braxton (13.1), Blackmon (13.0), King (12.4) and Nebo (12.2) are all averaging double-figures through 29 games.
 
Of the 141 Division I teams averaging at least 75 points per game, Saint Francis is one of 16 teams with four players averaging at least 12 points per game.
 
KRIMMEL MOVES INTO SEVENTH ON WINS LIST
Saint Francis Head Coach Rob Krimmel picked up his 58th career win on Saturday in SFU's 70-64 victory vs. FDU.  He is two wins away from tying Dave Magarity (1978-83) for sixth.
 
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 29 games, the group has combined for 1,918 of the team's 2,178 points (88 percent) and 5006 of 5875 minutes (85.2 percent).  Against FDU, a freshman or sophomore scored 65 of the team's 70 points and the group combined for 168 minutes.
 
BOMBS AWAY
Saint Francis hit 10 threes against Sacred Heart on Thursday, the sixth time this season hitting 10 or more threes.  SFU hit 10 against Duquesne, Marquette, Sacred Heart(2x) and Wagner and 19 vs. Chatham.  SFU has hit 8 or more threes in 13 games.  The Red Flash is currently leading the NEC with a 38.1 three-point percentage and 7.9 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 58 threes, with sophomores Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) and Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) right behind with 48 each.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Bryant is 12-19 overall and 9-9 in the NEC after closing out the regular season with a weekend split, falling 69-66 at Wagner, but defeating CCSU, 91-77.
 
Sophomore guard Nisre Zouzoua led the Bulldogs with 27 points, hitting 10-of-21 shots including seven threes.  Junior Bosko Kostur added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Marcel Pettway and Hunter Ware each contributed 10 points off the bench.
 
Zouzoua, a First Team All-NEC selection, led the league with a 20.2 scoring average, which ranks 32nd in the nation.  He has 16 outings with 20 or more points.  Zouzoua leads the league in threes per game, averaging 2.97.  All-Rookie Team selection Adam Grant is averaging 13.6 points and 2.6 assists per game, while Pettway is contributing 10.5 points per game.
 
NEXT TIME OUT…
The winner of the Saint Francis-Bryant matchup will advance to the NEC Semifinals, with an opponent and location to be determined.  The higher seed hosts all NEC Tournament games.