Loretto, Pa. - The Saint Francis men's basketball team (12-11, 8-4 NEC) extended its win streak to five games and moved into a share of first place in the process with an 84-75 win over Bryant on Saturday night. Senior Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) led Saint Francis with a season-high 27 points while sophomore Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) enjoyed his finest game of his young career with 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five blocks. 

Krimmel's Reaction

"We got off to a great start tonight and did a good job of executing the game plan," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "Our shots didn't fall in the second half but our guys stayed engaged in the huddles, listened to the coaches and stuck together to pull out the win down the stretch."

Turning Point

Saint Francis led by as many as 14 with 18:09 remaining in the second half, only to trail 62-58 after an Adam Grant three-pointer with 6:32 to play in the game. King was fouled shooting a three on the next possession and sunk all three from the line on the next possession. A Flagg swat on the defensive end then led to a three-pointer from redshirt junior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) as SFU regained its lead. Senior Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) stroked a triple on SFU's next time down the court to cap a 9-0 run and turn a four-point deficit into a 67-62 lead with five minutes to play.

First Half Summary

Saint Francis shot 56% from the field and made 6-of-10 three-point shots to lead 39-28 at the half. Blackmon made all three of his three-point tries in the first half as he and King paced Saint Francis with 10 points each.

Second Half Summary

A four-point play by King early in the second half gave SFU its largest lead at 14 before the Bulldogs stormed back. Grant scored 13 of his 21 points over the final 20 minutes, spearheading the comeback with three triples as Bryant connected on 6-of-13 from behind-the-arc. The Red Flash missed its six of its first seven three-pointers to open the half before recovering to make three of its last four over the final seven minutes. King scored 17 points in the second half, doing most of his damage from the free throw line on 12-of-12 shooting. Flagg was a monster down the stretch, recording 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 15 minutes of second half playing time.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Francis finished the game 26-of-54 (48.1%) from the field to 26-of-58 (44.8%) for the Bulldogs.
• The Red Flash made 10-of-21 three-pointers (47.6%) while Bryant connected on 8-of-23 (34.8%).
• Saint Francis finished 22-of-29 from the free throw line (75.9%) while the Bulldogs hit 15 of their 18 (83.3%) free throws.
• Saint Francis beat the Bulldogs on the glass, 34-32.
• SFU backed up its 23 assists from Thursday's win with 18 more tonight. Senior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) led SFU with seven assists.
• Saint Francis registered a season-high seven blocks thanks to five from Flagg. 
• SFU's bench outscored Bryant's 25-9.

Notes

• Blackmon and Braxton joined King and Flagg in double figures. Blackmon went 4-for-8 from three to finish with 14 points and six rebounds. Braxton once again flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
• Braxton passed SFU great Mike Iuzzolino on the SFU scoring list and is now in 14th place. King is tied-for-15th with Iuzzolino at 1,346 points. Braxton also passed Ronnie Drinnon for 10th place on the school's career rebounding list.
• Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) made 2-of-4 three-pointers and passed SFU's all-time leading scorer Joe Anderson for eighth place in career made three-point field goals with 171. 
• Flagg's five blocks were the most by an SFU player since Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) recorded eight in a win over Wagner on Mar. 4, 2017.
• Saint Francis is 8-2 at DeGol Arena this season and 19-5 at home since the start of last season.
• SFU's five-game win streak matches its longest from last year, when SFU won its final five league contests.
• With Robert Morris's loss to CCSU, Saint Francis moves into a tie with the Colonials for first place and currently owns the tiebreaker after its 76-73 win at Robert Morris on Jan. 31.
• The Red Flash move to 12-11 on the season marking the first time it has been over .500 all season.

Up Next

Saint Francis heads to Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday, Feb. 14 to take on the Knights a 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Knights defeated SFU handedly earlier in the season.