Tournament Headquarters

Loretto, Pa. – The top-seeded Saint Francis men's basketball team (17-13, 12-6 NEC) will host its first NEC Semifinal game in 28 years on Saturday when it welcomes #6 LIU Brooklyn at 2 p.m.
 
Scouting LIU Brooklyn
 
The Blackbirds defeated Saint Francis 69-66 in Loretto on Feb. 23 to spoil SFU's senior day and spark a four-game win streak. LIU advanced to the semifinals courtesy of a 71-62 victory over #3 Sacred Heart on Thursday night. The Blackbirds are led by NEC First Team performer and conference leading scorer Raiquan Clark. The senior forward averages 19.4 ppg and averaged 23.5 points in his two games vs. SFU this season. Redshirt sophomore Ty Flowers was a Third Team All-NEC selection and recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds in LIU's win on Feb. 28. The Blackbirds have the top ranked field goal pct. defense, holding opponents to just 42.3% from the field and 33.1% from three-point range. LIU Brooklyn's roster is littered with postseason experience as the Blackbirds are the reigning NEC Champions.
 
Series History
 
The Blackbirds lead the series 39-38 after splitting the two contests this season. LIU Brooklyn is 2-1 in the postseason vs. Saint Francis.

Defense Turns up for Postseason
 
The Red Flash defense put on a defensive clinic in the first half of Thursday's win over Bryant, holding the Bulldogs to 19 points in the first half, the fewest points allowed by SFU in any half this season. SFU needed every stop it got in the 67-63 win. Saint Francis entered the Tournament 0-7 when held under 70 points before breaking the trend Wednesday.
 
28-Year Drought
 
Saint Francis and the Loretto community has been waiting for an NEC Semifinal game for 28 years and will end the drought on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Red Flash have played in six NEC Semifinal games, going 2-4, but just one of those six have been at home and that occurred in 1990-91. SFU is 1-2 in semifinal games under Krimmel, defeating Wagner at the buzzer in 2016-17.
 
Blackmon Chasing 1,000
 
Redshirt junior guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) needs just 4 points to become the 42nd player in SFU history and the third on the current team to reach 1,000 career points. Blackmon has overcome two ACL injuries to rank third on the Red Flash in scoring this season at 11.8 ppg. He led SFU in scoring in 2016-17 at 13.7 points per game. Blackmon is averaging 18.8 ppg in four career NEC Tournament games after netting 14 in SFU's win Thursday.