Baltimore, Md. - Redshirt senior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) scored a game-high 21 points, senior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) added 17 points, six rebounds and five assists as the Saint Francis men's basketball team (5-4) leaned on its defense to squeak out its third consecutive victory with a 63-60 win at UMBC.

Krimmel's Reaction

"It was one of the uglier wins I've been a part of here and I loved every minute of it," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "Coach Taylor likes to use the word 'grimy' and that's the perfect word for this win. Our defense played hard for 40 minutes and we stuck together as a team to make enough plays down the stretch."

Turning Point

Saint Francis raced out to a 34-24 halftime lead as Blackmon made 3-of-4 first half trifectas for 12 points. UMBC grabbed its first lead since 1-0 after an L.J. Owens three-pointer with 9:01 to play. The rest of the contest was a back-and-forth affair. Saint Francis trailed by one at the final media timeout but went back ahead on two Braxton free throws. With the game tied at 56-56, Blackmon drive to the rim and got fouled, sinking both free throw attempts to put Saint Francis ahead 58-56. Braxton recorded a steal on the next UMBC possession, drove the length of the floor, and fed redshirt sophomore Tyler Stewart (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal) who finished at the rim to put Saint Francis up two scores. UMBC cut its deficit to two with two free throws and trailed by three after Braxton split two from the line. Two more Retriever free throws cut it to one but Blackmon boosted it to 63-60 with two free throws. UMBC had two looks to tie but both three-pointers missed the mark and Stewart pulled in a rebound for the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Francis made 18-44 (40.9%) of its field goals while holding UMBC to 20-53 (37.7%).
• The Red Flash connected on 5-16 (31.3%) three-pointers to UMBC's 8-29 (27.6%).
• Saint Francis hit 22-28 (78.6%) of its free throws while UMBC was just 12-20 (60.0%).
• UMBC won on the glass, 35-32 while SFU was held to a season-low six offensive rebounds.
• Turnovers were even at 15-15.
• Saint Francis held the Retrievers to just three fast break points.

Notes

• Blackmon exceeded 20 points for the third time this season and 14th of his career.
• Braxton is averaging 20.3 ppg over SFU's three-game win streak.
• Stewart finished with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.
• SFU has held its opponents to just 64.0 points per game over the last three contests, after yielding 78.7 points per game over its first six.
• Saint Francis can record seven non-league for the first time in the Rob Krimmel era with wins over Franciscan and Willam & Mary.

Up Next

The Red Flash will break for finals before returning to the court on Dec. 17 vs. Franciscan.