LORETTO, Pa. – Freshman Ronell Giles, Jr. led five Saint Francis men's basketball players in double figures with a career-high 21 points as the Red Flash picked up its first win of Northeast Conference play in an 89-82 victory over first-place Bryant Thursday night at DeGol Arena.
 
Senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists, while junior Myles Thompson added 17 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Maxwell Land scored a career-best 17 points and junior Marlon Hargis added 14 in his Saint Francis debut.
 
The 89 points were a season-high. Giles' 21 points were the most by a Red Flash freshman since Keith Braxton scored 22 against Bryant in the 2017 NEC Quarterfinals.
 
Saint Francis 89, Bryant 82
Records: Saint Francis (2-6, 1-3), Bryant (9-3, 5-2)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
 

Hear from @SFUcoachkrim, @RDC2__, and @MarlonHargis after Thursday's 89-82 win over Bryant at DeGol Arena.

🔴⚡️ BELIEVE | #NECMBB pic.twitter.com/RNPHqs021Y
— Saint Francis Men's Basketball (@RedFlashMBB) January 15, 2021
 

COACH KRIMMEL'S COMMENTS
"Our guys have gone through quite a bit over the last month and a half, as everybody has at this point, with injuries and people being out as a result of covid, some ups and downs, and some tough opponents. It would have been very easy for these guys to come out here and play with no emotion. But to get a win against a very good, well-coached, talented team, is a credit to our guys."
 
KEY MOMENTS

• The Red Flash bolted ahead with a 20-5 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 70-56 advantage with 7:13 to play.
• The Bulldogs responded to cut the Red Flash advantage to 70-63, but a three-pointer from Thompson and layup by Land gave the hosts a cushion they would not relinquish. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Saint Francis jumped out to a 17-7 lead with a 14-4 run sparked by the first appearance in a Red Flash uniform by Hargis.
• Bryant answered with a 10-0 run to tie the game at 17, prompting a Red Flash timeout with 11:06 to play in the half.
• A three-point play by Flagg and a three from Giles helped the Red Flash push the lead back to seven at 27-20, but Bryant responded with 12 of the next 15 to jump in front 32-30 with 5:54 to go before halftime.
• The Red Flash led 43-40 at the half with nine points from Land and eight each from Giles and Thompson.
• Bryant scored six straight to turn a 50-45 SFU lead into a 51-50 deficit before a three-point play from Giles out the Red Flash back in front at 53-51 with 13:50 remaining.
• Saint Francis pushed the lead to 57-51, and after a Bryant steal and layup, the Red Flash ran off a 7-2 stretch for a 64-55 advantage with 9:37 to play. The stretch included an inbound alley-oop to Hargis out of a timeout.
• The Bulldogs would go one of two at the line and the Red Flash would score the next six to move ahead 70-56 with 7:13 to go, prompting a Bryant timeout.
• Bryant scored the next seven before a Thompson three ended the visitor's run and put the Red Flash back in front by 10 at 73-63 with 4:23 to play.
• Saint Francis led by 12 before Bryant cut it to five at 75-70 with 2:05 to play. A Land three broke up the Bryant 7-0 run with 1:46 to go. A Bryant basket was answered by four free throws for Saint Francis, which led by at least seven the rest of the way.

STATS

• Dixon-Conover's 10 assists were a career-high to go with his 11 points and seven rebounds.
• Land knocked down four threes and Giles and Thompson added three each for a season-best 10 made shots from beyond the arc.
• Hargis made all six of his free throws and added seven rebounds to his 14 points in 20 minutes. Hargis played in his first game Thursday since transferring from Holy Cross.
• The Red Flash assisted on 18 of 29 field goals.
• Bryant out-rebounded SFU, 46-42.
• Saint Francis shot 40.3% from the field and 40.0% from three. Bryant was 41.3% overall and 25.0% from three.
• The Red Flash was 21-of-26 from the free-throw line (80.8%). The Bulldogs were 23-of-32 (71.9%).
• Thompson added two blocks.

GAME NOTES

• Saint Francis improves to 15-10 all-time against Bryant.
• The five players in double figures match the season-opening win over Pitt for the most this season.
• SFU's 89 points were the most since scoring 100 at Fairleigh Dickinson 365 days ago on Jan. 15, 2020. 

UP NEXT 
The Red Flash and Bulldogs will turn around and square off Friday at 4 p.m. at DeGol Arena. The game can be seen on NEC Front Row with Shawn Curtis and Tom Fox on the call.
 
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.