Loretto, Pa. - Sophomore Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) finished with a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds, redshirt junior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) registered 19 points and seven rebounds and junior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) fell an assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Saint Francis men's basketball team (15-11, 11-4 NEC) extended its win streak to eight games with an 81-71 win over St. Francis Brooklyn (16-12, 8-7 NEC) on Thursday night.

Krimmel's Reaction

"I thought the difference in the game was our ability to stay in front of their perimeter players and guard the ball," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "They have a few guys who can really score the basketball but we made it difficult for them to find a rhythm tonight. We had an off night shooting the basketball but managed to score 50 points in the paint and win the 50/50 balls and that is always a recipe for success."

Turning Point 

Saint Francis led 16-15 midway through the first half before rattling off a 21-4 run over the ensuing seven minutes to grab a 37-19 lead with 2:51 in the half. The Terriers managed to cut the deficit to 11 by halftime but Saint Francis stretched it back to 20 over the first 4:12 of the second half. Every time the Terriers made a second half run Saint Francis had an answer. The lead was trimmed to nine with 10:29 left in the game but Blackmon nailed a corner three to kickstart a 10-0 run. St. Francis Brooklyn cut it to single digits once more with 3:02 to play before a Flagg layup ignited a 6-0 spurt to put the game out of reach.

Inside the Box Score

• The Red Flash went 30-of-59 (50.8%) from the field despite knocking down just 4-of-16 from behind the arc. 
• The Terriers finished the game 28-of-61 (45.9%) from the field and 5-of-20 (25.0%) from three-point range.
• SFU converted 17 of its 21 free throws (81.0%) while St. Francis Brooklyn made 10-of-15 (66.7%).
• Saint Francis outrebounded St. Francis Brooklyn 39-26. 
• Thanks to Flagg's career night, the Red Flash outscored the Terriers 50-38 in the paint and 16-6 in second chance points.
• Fast break points tilted in SFU's favor, 21-14.

Notes

• Flagg bested his previous career-high of 18, which he set at Wagner last season. He is averaging 14.0 ppg  and 6.2 rpg over his last four outings. 
• Braxton's nine assists were a season-high. He has relished his role as a facilitator, averaging 7.0 apg over his last five contests.
• Braxton's double-double was his 35th of his career and his 11th of the season. 
• Junior Randall Gaskins Jr. pitched in with nine points and senior Luidgy Laporal (Petit-Boutg, France/Harcum C.C.) added eight points in 12 minutes. 
• SFU is 6-1 when Gaskins scores eight or more points.
• Saint Francis led for 37:27 of the 40 minutes.
• The Red Flash own a +8.1 scoring margin during its eight-game win streak.
• Saint Francis is 11-3 when outscoring its opponent in the paint. 
• The Red Flash are 14-4 when holding its opponent under 50.0% from the field. SFU has done so in seven straight contests.
• The eight-game win streak ties for the longest since 1990-91 and is just three wins shy of the program record set in 1950-51.

Up Next

The Red Flash welcome LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 1 p.m. Saint Francis will honor its five seniors in Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)), Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, Ohio/Saint Ignatius), Luidgy Laporal (Petit-Boutg, France/Harcum C.C.), Jordan Forehand (Bridgewater, N.J./IMG Academy (Fla.)) and Michael Klebon (Paxinos, Pa./Southern Columbia) before tip.