Smithfield, R.I. - Redshirt junior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) scored a career-high 26 points but it wasn't enough as the Saint Francis men's basketball team (7-10, 3-3 NEC) saw its halftime lead slip in a 76-67 loss at Bryant (6-11, 3-3 NEC).

Krimmel's Reaction

"We have to find a way as a team to put consistent performance together," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "I thought we came out with a good energy and focus but let up towards the end of the first half. It carried over to the second half and we weren't able to get stops when we needed them. Credit Bryant for making some difficult shots but we need to find a way to be able to string wins together."

Turning Point

Saint Francis led 34-26 with 1:38 left in the first half after two Blackmon free throws but allowed Bryant to creep back in with .a 4-0 spurt to close the half. The Bulldogs would go on to score 16 of the first 21 points of the second half to open up a 46-39 lead. Saint Francis regained the lead briefly, 50-48, after a corner three from Myles Thompson (Camden, N.J./Camden) with 11:14 to play but Bryant answered with 11 of the next 15 points to lead 59-54. SFU would never regain the lead.

First Half Summary

Blackmon hit his first three three-pointers off the bench to help SFU grab an early lead. He went into the break with a game-high 13 points as SFU shot 50.0% from the field.

Second Half Summary

Early foul trouble plagued the Red Flash as Bryant his the bonus with 13:08 to play in the half. The Bulldogs started to hurt SFU from the foul line, converting 15-of-19 second half free throws, and taking away SFU's aggressiveness on the offensive end.

Inside the Box Score 

• Saint Francis was held to 11-of-29 (37.9%) from the field in the second half, finishing the game 25-of-57 (43.9%). Bryant made 12 of its 18 shots (66.7%) in the second half to shoot 25-of-47 (53.2%).
• Bryant hit 7 of its 9 second half three-point tries (77.8%) to finish the game 10-of-22 (45.5%) from behind the arc. SFU was 7-for-24 (29.2%) from behind the arc and 3-of-17 if you take away Blackmon's 4-for-7 night.
• Saint Francis made 10-of-15 (66.7%) free throws while Bryant hit 16-of-20 (80.0%).
• Bryant edged SFU in rebounding, 31-30.
• Turnovers were even at 14-14 but Bryant had a 20-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
• SFU outscored Bryant 32-22 in the paint and 11-5 on second chance points.

Notes

• Blackmon surpassed his previous career-high of 25, which he set at Wagner on Jan. 26, 2017 during his sophomore season.
• Saint Francis fell to 1-6 in games following a win.
• Saint Francis is now 0-7 when its opponent shoots 50% or higher from the field.
• The Red Flash are 2-9 on the road and 5-1 at home. 
• Junior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) was the only other Saint Francis player in double figures with 11 points and eight rebounds.
• The loss snapped a three-game winning streak over Bryant dating back to the 2016-17 NEC Quarterfinals.

Up Next

Saint Francis returns home after four consecutive games on the road to host Wagner on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.