Saint Francis faces second ACC test with trip to No. 15 Virginia

11/30/2020 9:20:00 AM

Miles McQuiggan

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team takes on the defending national champion Tuesday when the Red Flash travels to Charlottesville for a meeting with No. 15 Virginia.

The Red Flash and Cavaliers meet for the first time in program history as SFU sets its sights on knocking off an ACC opponent for the second time in the season's first seven days.

The Matchup: Saint Francis (1-1) at No. 15 Virginia (1-1)
Location: John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville, Va.)
Date and Time: Tuesday, Dec. 1 – 4 p.m.
Watch: ACC Network (Jay Alter, Malcolm Huckaby)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Game Notes: Saint Francis
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #NECMBB

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
Virginia is 1-1 on the year with a convincing win over Towson before stumbling in a 61-60 loss to San Francisco Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. An 8-0 run for the Dons late in the second half put San Francisco in front before withstanding a UVA comeback effort in the final minutes.

Reece Beekman led the Cavaliers with 11 points off the bench against the Dons. Sam Hauser leads Virginia in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.0) through two contests. The Cavaliers have shot 86.4% from the free-throw line and 49.1% from the field.

Virginia's KenPom defensive efficiency of 85.8 leads the nation through Sunday. The Cavaliers tempo of 64.5 possessions per game ranks as the slowest in the nation.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's meeting will be the first between Saint Francis and Virginia. The Red Flash have defeated four current ACC members with wins over Virginia Tech (1950-51), Syracuse (1970-71), Boston College (1975-76), and Pitt (Wednesday.)

LAST TIME OUT: UMBC 80, SAINT FRANCIS 65
The Red Flash and Retrievers both shot just under 50% for the contest, but an experienced, physical UMBC team executed at the line in the second half, going 17-for-21, to spoil SFU's home opener Saturday at DeGol Arena.

MARK THE MARKSMAN
Senior Mark Flagg went 13-of-17 from the field in the season's opening week, including a 5-for-5 showing in the win over Pitt. Flagg averaged 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in the first two games of his senior season.

NEC > ACC
Saint Francis' victory Wednesday was the sixth in Northeast Conference history against an ACC opponent and first since St. Francis Brooklyn defeated Miami in 2013.

COASTAL BUCKET ADVISORY
Junior Myles Thompson has enjoyed competing against the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Thompson's 13-point performance at Pitt was his third in four career games against the ACC. He scored a career-high 23 points last season at Florida State and tallied 14 as a freshman at Virginia Tech.

MEET THE PRESS
Saint Francis is aiming for its fourth win in program history over a team ranked in the Associated Press poll and first in 62 seasons.

SFU defeated No. 13 St. Bonaventure, 93-82, in a home game on Jan. 24, 1959, for its most recent victory over a team in the AP poll. It was the third win over a ranked opponent for the program in the 1950s, following victories over No. 20 Siena in 1952 and No. 9 Duquesne in 1954.

PRESENT TENS
A year removed from graduating the program's two leading scorers, six different Saint Francis players have produced a 10-point effort in the season's first two games.

Senior Mark Flagg and freshman Maxwell Land scored 10+ points against both Pitt and UMBC and were joined in at least one contest by senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover, redshirt junior Tyler Stewart, junior Myles Thompson, and freshman Ronell Giles, Jr.

NOVEMBER 25: SAINT FRANCIS 80, PITT 70
Senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover scored a career-high 21 points and the Red Flash led for 38 minutes of its first win over the Panthers in program history Wednesday. Four other SFU players were in double figures, including a 13-point, eight-rebound effort from junior Myles Thompson.

SO FRESH, SO CLEAN
Saint Francis got 38% of its minutes from freshmen in Wednesday's win at Pitt. Maxwell Land made his first career start and scored 12 points, while Ronell Giles, Jr. tallied 10 points off the bench.

Josh Cohen, Jeriah Coleman, Zahree Harrison, and Luke Ruggery also made their collegiate debuts in the victory. Coleman grabbed five rebounds in six minutes of action.

Giles, Harrison, and Land were on the floor in the final minute as the Red Flash closed out the win at Pitt.

TURN, TURN, TURN
Saint Francis forced 23 Pitt turnovers in the season-opening win. The 23 miscues by the Panthers were the most by a D1 opponent in Rob Krimmel's time as head coach.

NEXT UP: LIBERTY
The Red Flash will close out a two-game trip in Virginia when Saint Francis faces Liberty on Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Follow Saint Francis Men's Basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash.

To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.

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