Saint Francis opens second half of NEC play against Central Connecticut
Miles McQuiggan
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team closes the month of January with two games in Loretto against Central Connecticut on Saturday and Sunday.
The Red Flash are 3-6 at the midway point of conference play and have played the NEC's second-toughest conference strength of schedule, behind the Blue Devils.
The Series: Central Connecticut (3-9, 3-6 NEC) at Saint Francis (4-9, 3-6 NEC)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
Game 1: Saturday, Jan. 30 – 7 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row (
Pat Farabaugh, Tom Fox)
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Game 2: Sunday, Jan. 31 – 4 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row (
Pat Farabaugh, Tom Fox)
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Game Notes: Saint Francis
Social Media: Facebook |
Twitter |
Instagram | #NECMBB
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut is 3-9 on the year and 3-6 in NEC play, splitting series with FDU, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Mount St. Mary's. The Blue Devils won in dramatic fashion last Friday in New Britain, as Nigel Scantlebury hit a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to lift CCSU to a 65-64 win.
Greg Outlaw leads the Blue Devils at 11.8 points per game, while Tre Mitchell has added 10 per contest. The Blue Devils have been out-rebounded by an average of eight boards per night.
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash and Blue Devils have met 45 times in a series that dates back to 1994-95, with Saint Francis holding a 23-22 advantage. Central Connecticut joined the NEC in 1997-98 after a stint as a geographic outlier in the Mid-Continent Conference, whose remaining members formed the present-day Summit League.
Saint Francis has swept the season series in each of the last two seasons, averaging 88.5 points per game in last year's victories.
Mark Flagg scored a game-high 19 points in the contest in Loretto, while
Ramiir Dixon-Conover added 18 points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field with four threes.
LAST TIME OUT: SAINT FRANCIS 90, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 82
Senior
Ramiir Dixon-Conover led five Red Flash players in double figures with a 19-point effort to earn a split of a make-up series against Fairleigh Dickinson. Junior
Myles Thompson and freshman
Ronell Giles, Jr. added 15 points each.
MARK'S NOTABLE MARKS
Senior
Mark Flagg reached the 500-rebound plateau in Wednesday's win over Fairleigh Dickinson. Flagg's seven-rebound effort got him to 505 in his Red Flash career.
Flagg enters the weekend one block away from the 100th of his career. The rejection would make Flagg the sixth player in program history to record 100 blocks, with
Josh Nebo the last to accomplish the feat in 2017.
MR. STEAL YOUR PASS
Senior
Ramiir Dixon-Conover leads the NEC with 2.6 steals per game, a mark that ranks eighth nationally. Dixon-Conover's 4.0% steal percentage ranks second in the NEC and 54th nationally.
5-1-THREES
Freshman
Maxwell Land is shooting 52.8% from beyond the arc this season. Land's 36 attempts do not meet the minimum NCAA qualification, but per KenPom, he ranks ninth nationally among players who have played 40% of their team's minutes and attempted at least two threes per game.
A FIRST IN THE KRIMMEL ERA
Saint Francis scored 92 points Tuesday and 90 in Wednesday's win over Fairleigh Dickinson, marking the first time
Rob Krimmel's nine seasons as head coach that the Red Flash scored 90 points in back-to-back outings against Division I competition.
ZERO-POINT LINE
Saint Francis enters the weekend 16th nationally in three-point defense at 28.2%. Central Connecticut has shot 33% from distance, which ranks fourth in the NEC.
COHEN GETS GOIN'
Redshirt freshman
Josh Cohen followed a nine-point, eight-rebound performance against Bryant with his first career double-double in the win over Sacred Heart. Cohen's 11 and 10 on the box score made him the fourth Red Flash player with a double-double this season, joining seniors
Ramiir Dixon-Conover and
Mark Flagg and junior
Myles Thompson.
NEXT UP: MERRIMACK
Saint Francis will open February with two games in Massachusetts when the Red Flash faces Merrimack Thursday and Friday. Both games will tip off at 4 p.m.
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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit
francis.edu.
