Newark, Del. - The Saint Francis men's basketball team (3-6) was outlasted by Delaware (8-3) 88-83 on Sunday in a close game that was within seven points for the entire 40 minutes. Senior Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) set season-highs with 26 points and eight assists in the loss while junior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Krimmel's Reaction

"We took a step in the right direction offensively today as we continue to try to find our identity on the offensive end," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "We came out with a better focus and it put us in position to win a game against a very good Delaware team. They deserve full credit for making a few more tough plays than us down the stretch."

Turning Point

In a game that saw 11 lead changes, Delaware held a 76-74 lead with five minutes to play. An old-fashioned three-point play and two free throws saw Delaware take its largest lead of the game, 81-74 but Saint Francis answered with layups from Braxton and King. A Braxton three-pointer with 1:27 to play pulled SFU back within two, 83-81 but Delaware scored on its next two possessions, the latter coming with 13 seconds left to go back up four.

First Half Summary

King set the tone for the Red Flash team with 14 points and five assists in the first half. SFU led 10-4 to open the game after a King pull-up jumper before Delaware responded with a 9-0 run. Neither team led by more than four for the rest of the half as the Blue Hens went into halftime with a 43-39 lead.

Second Half Summary

Saint Francis took its first lead of the second half just 1:39 in after junior Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) opened the half with a triple and SFU got another three from King and a layup from Braxton. After Delaware stretched the lead to 57-51, SFU connected on threes from redshirt junior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) and Braxton to even things up setting up the exciting finish.

Inside the Numbers

• SFU's opponent shot over 55% from the field for the second consecutive game as Delaware made 34-59 (57.6%) field goals to 29-58 (50.0%) for Saint Francis.
• SFU's put an end to its outside shooting woes by hitting a season-high 14 three-pointers on 32 tries (43.8%). Delaware hit 8-21 (38.1%) from behind the arc. King and Braxton led SFU with four three-pointers each. 
• Delaware went 12-17 (70.6%) from the free-throw line while SFU knocked down 11-16 (68.8%).
• Delaware won the rebounding battle 32-28, limiting SFU to a season-low eight offensive rebounds.
• Delaware received 33 points and 12 rebounds from fifth-year senior Eric Carter outscoring SFU 46-24 in the paint.
• SFU's bench, paced by 15 points from Blackmon, outscored Delaware's 21-6.

Notes

• King's 26 points were the most by an SFU player this season and just five points shy of his career-high.
• Blackmon went 4-5 from three-point range, finishing the week 8-11 from downtown.
• Saint Francis committed a season-low five turnovers as the teams combined for just 10 total.
• SFU allowed a player to score 33 points for the second straight game, tying the highest output against the Red Flash during the Rob Krimmel era.
• King fell one assist shy of tying his career-high og nine and two away from his first career double-double.

Up Next

Saint Francis will rest up before returning to DeGol Arena in nine days to take on Franciscan on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m.