Richmond, Va. - The Saint Francis men's basketball team took Atlantic 10 member Richmond (1-0) to the brink in the Spiders season opener before seeing a 12-point lead slip over the final 2:50 in a 100-98 overtime loss.

Krimmel's Reaction

"Certainly, we feel like we let one get away today against a terrific and well-coached Richmond team. We put ourselves in position to win the game but had too many turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch. I am happy with a lot of the things we did tonight but we will have to evaluate the end of the game and make sure we become a better team because of this."

Turning Point

Saint Francis lit it up from three-point range and led 86-74 after a layup by senior Deivydas Kuzavas (Kretinga, Lithuania/St. Mary's Ryken (Md.)) at the 2:52 mark. Two made free throws from Richmond, two missed free throws from the Red Flash and a two-point jump shot cut it to eight with 2:35. 

Kuzavas upped the lead to 10 with two free throws with 1:41 to play but Richmond answered with a three-pointer. Senior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) then split two free throws before another three made it 89-84 with 1:14 left. 

A Richmond steal and score made it a one-possession game. The Spiders had a chance to tie it after another steal but missed a good look and Kuzavas pulled down the rebound before splitting two free throws. Richmond went 2-for-1 on the other end, scoring at the rim. 

Saint Francis couldn't advance the ball across mid court and Richmond came up with a steal and was fouled. Two free throws tied the game and left 27 seconds left for the last shot but Saint Francis couldn't get off a good look and redshirt senior Isaiah Blackmon's (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) heave at the buzzer hit the side of the back court.

Saint Francis trailed early in the overtime period but fought back and tied the game at 97-97 on Blackmon's fifth three of the night, which tied his career-high. Richmond took the lead on a layup with 55 seconds to go. The teams traded possessions and Blackmon had an open look at the top of the key to give Saint Francis the lead but he missed to the left. 

Richmond made 1 of two free throws then fouled Braxton with 1.9 seconds to play and a three-point lead. Braxton made the first free throw then tried to intentionally miss to get a tip-in but his effort missed the rim and Saint Francis fell to 0-2 on the season.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Francis made 35-of-72 field goals (48.6%) to Richmond's 35-of-68 (51.5%).
• The Red Flash hit 7-of-11 three-pointers in the second half and 14-of-28 (500%) for the game. Richmond also shot the ball well from three-point range, finishing 13-of-29 (44.8%).
• Saint Francis went 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the charity stripe to Richmond's 17-of-24 (70.8%).
• The Red Flash outrebounded Richmond 44-33 and hauled in 15 offensive rebounds for the second straight game, outscoring the Spiders 26-8 in second chance points.
• SFU's bench outscored Richmond's 31-11.
• Saint Francis led for 20:17 of the game.

Notes

• Saint Francis had three players score 20 or more points in the same game for the first time in the Krimmel era. Blackmon led the Red Flash with 23 points and Braxton and redshirt sophomore Tyler Stewart (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal) had 20. For Stewart, a transfer from Binghamton, it was a career-high in his first start in a Red Flash uniform.
• Braxton passed Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) and Devin Sweetney to move into 7th-place on the school's all-time scoring list.
• Redshirt senior Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)) added 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range.
• Kuzavas also had a nice night off the bench, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.
• Braxton recorded his 38th career double-double, the most among all current NCAA Division players, finishing with 11 rebounds and eight assists to go with his 20 points.
• Sophomore Myles Thompson (Camden, N.J./Camden) pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. 
• The Red Flash fell to 1-18 in its last 19 games against Atlantic 10 opponents. 
• Saint Francis went 4-for-9 from the free throw line with three turnovers over the last three minutes.

Up Next

Saint Francis plays its third straight road game to open the season on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Morgan State at 7 p.m.