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Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team (8-11, 4-4 NEC) will try to ride the momentum from Saturday's comeback victory over Sacred Heart when it takes on first-place Robert Morris (12-9, 7-1 NEC) on Thursday, Jan. 31, and Mount St. Mary's (5-16, 2-6 NEC) on Saturday, Feb. 2. Thursday's contest will tip at 7 p.m. while Saturday's game begins at 4 p.m.
 
Scouting Robert Morris
 
The Colonials have charged into first-place thanks to its league-leading defense. Robert Morris is allowing a league-low 66.2 points per game, and that number dips to 61.1 ppg in conference play. Senior Matty McConnell has been the catalyst on the defensive end, leading the league in steals per game at 1.86. Josh Williams, in his first season with Robert Morris after transferring from Akron, leads the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg. Most of his damage has come from behind the arc as he leads the NEC in made three-pointers with 67 and is shooting 40.9% from behind the arc. Malik Petteway is a handful off the Colonials' bench, ranking second on the team in scoring at 10.7 ppg and first in rebounding at 5.9 rpg. Robert Morris has been very good in close games. Five of their seven wins in conference have been by single digits.
 
Series History
 
Saint Francis trails Robert Morris 49-35 in the all-time series but has won six straight over the Colonials.
 
Scouting Mount St. Mary's
 
Mount St. Mary's young squad has been competitive in the NEC, despite recording a 2-6 record heading into the week. The Mountaineers have been led by freshman Vado Morse, particularly since the turn of 2019. Morse leads Mount St. Mary's in scoring at 13.8 ppg and is averaging 17.1 ppg in conference games, the fourth best clip in the league. He is a four-time winner of the NEC's Rookie of the Week and has won the last two. Jalen Gibbs follows at 13.0 ppg while Omar Habwe is averaging 10.2 ppg.
 
Series History
 
Saint Francis ended a seven-game losing streak to Mount St. Mary's with an 80-69 win on Jan. 3 to open conference play. Senior Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) led Saint Francis with 25 points while junior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) contributed 17 points and 17 rebounds. Habwe led the Mountaineers with 21 points. The Mountaineers hold a 49-31 all-time edge in the series as head coach Rob Krimmel is just 3-11 career vs. the Mount.
 
Braxton Earns Second Player of the Week
 
Junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season and the fifth time in his career after averaging 20.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 5.0 apg last week. Braxton currently ranks sixth in the NEC in scoring (15.8 ppg), first in rebounding (9.8 rpg), eighth in assists (3.6 apg) and second in steals (1.8 spg). He ranks 21st in SFU history in career scoring (1,277) and 13th in career rebounding (777). 
 
Shooters Heating Up
 
Saint Francis's shooting struggles were well-documented in non-league play but it seems the Red Flash have put the issues behind them. After shooting 30.1% from three-point range in its 11 non-league games, the Red Flash have converted 36.0% from three-point range in eight conference games, the top percentage in the NEC. Senior Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) and redshirt junior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) have been a big reason for the turnaround. Wolford made just 21-of-73 (28.8%) three-pointers in non-league play but has improved the total to 18-of-47 (38.3%) in NEC play. Blackmon made 20-of-53 (37.7%) before conference play and has converted 14-of-31 (45.2%) in league play, which ranks second among all NEC players with at least one three-pointer made per game.
 
Killer Comeback
 
Saint Francis overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Sacred Heart on Saturday night. The Red Flash trailed by 10 points with 5:50 to play before reeling off a 22-5 run. It was just the second win of the season for Saint Francis when trailing at halftime and the first victory when trailing by 10 or more points since overcoming an 11-point second half deficit vs. St. Francis Brooklyn in a 91-87 win on Jan. 6 of last season.