Fairfield, Conn. - The Saint Francis men's basketball team (16-13, 12-6 NEC) secured the top seed in next week's NEC Tournament despite a 94-84 loss at Sacred Heart on Saturday. Senior Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) battled foul trouble to record 23 points while junior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) registered 22 points and seven rebounds.

Krimmel's Reaction

"Sacred Heart executes as well as anyone in our league offensively, and we weren't able to get stops today," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "We are at our best when we can get stops and push the ball in transition but their offense kept us from being able to play at our pace. We will hit the reset button and prepare for a great opportunity ahead of us Wednesday night."

Turning Point

Saint Francis trailed 23-13 at 11:48 of the first half and didn't get it within single digits until 2:24 of the second half when freshman Myles Thompson (Camden, N.J./Camden) cut it to 87-78 after a free throw. SFU trailed by as much as 19 on two occassions.

First Half Summary

The Pioneers led by as many as 19 points in the first half and led 46-31 at the break on 17-of-27 (63.0%). The Red Flash were just 8-for-28 (28.6%) on the other end.

Second Half Summary

Saint Francis tried to cut into the lead behind 7-of-16 (43.8%) three-point shooting but couldn't get enough stops to pose a serious threat. The Pioneers went to the line 26 times in the second half, converting 21. They also shot 54.5% (12-22) from the field.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Francis was held to 23-of-64 (35.9%) from the field while Sacred Heart made 29-of-49 (59.2%), the second highest percentage by an SFU opponent all season.
• The Red Flash were effective from three-point range, making 10-of-25 (40.0%). SHU went 7-of-19 (36.8%) from three.
• The game drew a combined 59 fouls. Saint Francis finished 28-of-38 (73.7%) from the free-throw line while the Pioneers made 29-of-39 (74.4%).
• Sacred Heart pulled down 40 rebounds to SFU's 34.
• The Red Flash won the turnover battle, 15-9.
• The Pioneers scored 38 points in the paint to just 26 for the Red Flash.
• The Red Flash got 32 points from its bench, led by 14 points and seven rebounds from sophomore Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) and 13 points from senior Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, Ohio/Saint Ignatius).

Notes

• Saint Francis will share the regular-season title with Fairleigh Dickinson, but SFU wins the tiebreaker courtesy of its 2-0 record over third-place Robert Morris. The only other time SFU won the regular-season title, it was shared with FDU back in 1990-91.
• SFU finished with a 12-6 NEC record for the second straight season.
• Braxton made four three-pointers for the second straight game and is 15-of-29 from three-point range over his last six contests.
• SFU's 35.9% from the field was its second lowest output in 18 conference games.

Up Next

Saint Francis opens its chase for the NEC Title on Wednesday, Mar. 6,. vs. eighth-seeded Bryant at 7 p.m.