Loretto, Pa. - Senior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) fell one assist shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Saint Francis men's basketball team (4-4) erased a six-point halftime deficit to down Lehigh (3-6), 77-69.

Krimmel's Reaction

"Our challenge at the half was find ways to get stops," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "They scored 42 points in the first half but our guys dug in and held them to 27 points in the second half. I thought our defensive effort in the second half was the difference. 

Turning Point

Saint Francis turned the six-point halftime deficit into a five-point lead with 5:57 to play before Lehigh recaptured the lead courtesy of a 7-0 run. James Karnik, who finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, punctuated the spurt with a two-handed jam to give Lehigh a 66-64 lead with 3:23 remaining. Redshirt senior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte), who battled foul trouble most of the night, knocked down his only three-pointer of the game on the next possession and Saint Francis never looked back. Braxton drained a pair of free throws and sophomore Myles Thompson (Camden, N.J./Camden) converted a nifty move in the paint as Saint Francis led 71-66 with 1:43. Lehigh cut it to two on a two-point field goal from Jordan Cohen at the 33 second mark but Braxton and redshirt sophomore Tyler Stewart (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal) combined to go 6-for-6 from the free throw line the rest of the way to ice the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Francis shot 27-63 (42.9%) from the field to 28-61 (45.9%) for Lehigh.
• Lehigh shot 57.1% from the field in the first half and 36.4% in the second.
• The Red Flash struggled from three-point range, going 5-22 (22.7%). The Mountain Hawks cooled after a hot start to finish 7-22 (31.8%).
• Saint Francis continued to knock down its opportunities from the foul line, making 18-21 (85.7%). Lehigh went 6-10 (60.0%).
• Lehigh edged SFU in rebounds 39-35 as both teams secured 10 offensive boards.
• Points in the paint were 38-30 in SFU's favor.
• The Red Flash bench was the difference, outscoring Lehigh's 32-5.
• Saint Francis won the turnover battle 15-7.
• Fast break points favored the Red Flash, 19-6.
• Saint Francis recorded a season-high 14 assists thanks to Braxton's season-best nine.
• Lehigh led for 24:36 while Saint Francis led for 10:55.

Notes

• Braxton took over the national lead in career double-doubles with his 39th and second of the season. He passed assistant coach Eric Taylor, who starred at Saint Francis from 1994-98, for fourth place in career rebounds with 959.
• Thompson notched his fourth game of the season in double figures with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
• Redshirt senior Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)) led all SFU scorers off the bench with nine points on two first half threes.
• Redshirt freshman Bryce Laskey (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) got it going in the second half, knocking down a pair of threes to tie his career-high with eight points.
• All 10 players who saw the floor got in the scoring column.
• Junior Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) tied Will Felder for ninth place in career blocks with two more rejections.
• Saint Francis is 25-8 at home since the start of the 2017-18 season.
• The Red Flash are 3-0 this season and 13-1 since the start of last season when holding opponents under 70 points.

Up Next

Saint Francis looks to extend its win streak to three on Saturday, Dec. 7, at UMBC at 1 p.m.