Loretto, Pa. - The Saint Francis men's basketball team (9-5, 2-1 NEC) outscored the Wagner Seahawks (4-10, 1-2 NEC) 50-24 in the second half to erase an eight-point halftime deficit in a 80-62 rout on Thursday night. Senior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) led the way with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals, while sophomore Myles Thompson (Camden, N.J./Camden) poured in 12 points, all in the second half.

Krimmel's Reaction

"This was certainly a tale of two halves," said head coach Rob Krimmel. "We settled for too many jump shots against their zone in the first half, but were able to remedy that in the second half by getting stops and getting out in transition before they could set their defense. When we play as hard as we did over the last 20 minutes, and share the ball, we are a really hard team to beat."

Turning Point

The Red Flash shot 31.4% from the field in the first half to Wagner's 53.1% and trailed 38-30 at the break. The defense ramped up the intensity to start the second half, holding Wagner to 0-6 from the field with six turnovers over the first four-minute segment. Saint Francis capitalized with a quick 8-0 to deadlock the game at 38-38. With the game tied at 41-41, Thompson got going with three consecutive field goals, fueling a 16-3 run and double digit lead for the Red Flash. Wagner never cut it to single digits the rest of the way as the Seahawks were held to 23.3% from the field in the second half.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Francis made 25-62 (40.3%) of its shots, while Wagner hit 24-62 (38.7%).
• The Red Flash finished 5-18 (27.8%) on three-pointers to the Seahawks 5-21 (23.8%). Redshirt freshman Bryce Laskey (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) knocked down 2-of-3 from deep off the bench for eight points.
• Saint Francis got to the charity stripe 30 times, converting 25 (83.3%). Wagner made 9-12 (75.0%) free throws.
• SFU won the turnover battle, 15-10.
• SFU's ability to play in transition was a major factor as the Red Flash outscored Wagner 30-12 in fast break points. 
• SFU hauled in 14 offensive rebounds to claim a 42-36 rebounding disparity.
• Led by 12 points apiece from Thompson and redshirt sophomore Tyler Stewart (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal), the Saint Francis bench outscored Wagner's 27-19.

Notes

• Thompson has scored in double figures in five straight games and is averaging 12.7 ppg in three conference games.
• Redshirt senior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) joined Braxton, Thompson and Stewart in double figures with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• Senior Randall Gaskins Jr. scored nine points and was +23 over 30 minutes, while junior Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
• SFU is now 2-3 when trailing at halftime. The last time Saint Francis won when down by 10 or more points was in a 76-73 win at Robert Morris last January, a game Saint Francis trailed by 14.
• SFU has won seven of its last eight games for just the third time since 1990-91.
• Braxton has now scored in double figures in all 14 games this season and in 94 for his career.
• Saint Francis is 4-1 at home this season and 27-8 since the start of 2017-18.

Up Next

The Red Flash host its namesake in the Terriers on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m.