SFU Game Notes | NEC Front Row | ESPN3 | Live Stats

Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team (21-9) will host an NEC Semifinal game for the second straight year when it welcomes in the third-seeded Sacred Heart Pioneers (20-12) on Saturday at noon.

Television Coverage

AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will air the games live only on their DIRECTV (Ch. 659) and Dish (428) stations. The games will then air on same day delay on AT&T SN cable stations at 7 pm (RMU-LIU) and 9 pm (Saint Francis-Sacred Heart). 

Scouting Sacred Heart
 
The Pioneers roll into Loretto winners of four straight after Jarel Spellman's layup with 1.6 seconds remaining gave them a 61-59 victory over Mount St. Mary's in Wednesday's Quarterfinal. Saint Francis will have to contest with Sacred Heart's large front court, which features NEC First Team All-Conference selection, and the league's leading rebounder, E.J. Anosike. Led by Anosike's 11.7 boards per game, Sacred Heart ranks first in the conference in rebounding margin by a large gap at +7.1 per game. Sacred Heart's advantage on the glass was on full display in its win over Mount St. Mary's as the Pioneers outrebounded the Mountaineers 47-23 for the game and corralled 24 offensive rebounds. Anosike led the effort with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Spellman finished with 11 boards. Saint Francis (+6.2) and Sacred Heart (+4.4) rank one and two in the league in scoring margin. Third team All-NEC selection Koreem Ozier ranks second on the team, behind Anosike's scoring average of 15.9 ppg, at 13.8 ppg.
 
Series History
 
Saint Francis has won 11 of the last 15 meetings, including both this season, the first a 72-65 victory in Loretto, and the second a 70-68 win in Fairfield, Conn. on a go-ahead layup by senior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) in the final moments. This is the first meeting between the programs in the NEC Tournament. SFU owns the all-time series lead, 20-15.
 
Semifinal Life in Loretto
 
Saint Francis fans had to wait 28 years for a home semifinal game, but the Red Flash broke the drought last season when it hosted LIU in an 72-64 win. Fans won't have to wait another 28 years as SFU is back at home for its semifinal vs. Sacred Heart. It is SFU's fourth semifinal appearance under head coach Rob Krimmel and its third in the last four seasons. SFU is 2-1 in semifinal games under Krimmel and 3-4 in program history.
 
Defend DeGol
 
Home court advantage will be huge on Saturday as Saint Francis is 12-2 this season at DeGol Arena and 9-1 against NEC opponents. In what could be their last home game of their careers, the Saint Francis senior class of Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea), Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte), Randall Gaskins Jr., Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)) and Deivydas Kuzavas (Kretinga, Lithuania/St. Mary's Ryken (Md.)) is looking to go out with a bang. Saint Francis is 44-18 at home with this current group of seniors and 36-12 over the last three seasons. The Red Flash have also been good at home in the NEC Tournament with a program record of 9-4.
 
Gaskins Steps Up
 
Braxton's stat line of 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Wednesday's win grabbed the headlines as he was just the second player in Division I this season to record such a stat line, but it was fellow senior Randall Gaskins Jr. who put the Red Flash in position to win with his hot start. Gaskins scored the game's first five points and finished 7-10 from the field and 3-4 from three-point range to net a season-high 20 points. His three made three-pointers were also a career-high. Gaskins is playing arguable the best basketball of his career down the stretch run, averaging 9.8 ppg over the last six contests and shooting 59.5% from the field.