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Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team (3-4) vies for its first road win of the 2018-19 season on Tuesday in Washington D.C. at American (4-2) at 7 p.m. For those in the Washington D.C. area, the game will be televised on NBC Sports Washington.
 
Scouting American
 
The Eagles (4-2) started the season 4-1 before falling to Wagner 74-68 last Friday. 2017-18 Patriot League Second Team selection and leading scorer Sa'eed Nelson is at it again by averaging a team-high 19.0 ppg. Sophomore Sam Iorio, an All-Rookie selection from a year ago, follows at 11.7 ppg and a team-high 8.0 rpg. The Eagles have hung their hats on the defensive end, holding opponents to just 63.0 ppg, 36.5% from the field and a paltry 28.7% from three-point range.
 
Series History
 
American leads the all-time series 12-8 but Saint Francis has won the last three match-ups including a 100-89 victory at DeGol Arena last season. Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) led SFU with 20 points while Nelson led all scorers with 24.
 
Big Man Rotation Playing Big
 
The three-man rotation of senior Luidgy Laporal (Petit-Boutg, France/Harcum C.C.), junior Deivydas Kuzavas (Kretinga, Lithuania/St. Mary's Ryken (Md.)) and sophomore Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) has been extremely productive from the five position. The trio combined to record 23 points and 13 rebounds in Friday's win over Niagara and is averaging 13.5 ppg and 12.3 rpg. Friday's win showcased the group's ability to ride the hot hand as Laporal recorded nine points and six rebounds in the first half and Flagg registered eight points with the bulk of the minutes in the second half.
 
Points in the Paint
 
Saint Francis dominated Niagara 52-26 in the paint on Friday, helping the Red Flash overcome a 5-23 shooting performance from three-point range. SFU is averaging 35.7 points in the paint per game and 58 per game over its last two contests, which has helped alleviate its early-season shooting struggles which has seen the Red Flash shoot 28.9% from three-point range.
 
Braxton's Heroic Performance
 
Junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) became the first player in Division I this season to record a stat line of at least 25 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and three steals in a single game as he led Saint Francis to a 79-75 victory over Niagara. Braxton is no stranger to these types of performances as he recorded the first triple-double in school history last season in a win over Fairleigh Dickinson and leads Saint Francis with 26 career double-doubles.