BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover matched his career highs with 21 points and seven rebounds, but the Saint Francis men's basketball team was otherwise stymied by the Long Island defense in a 71-58 defeat Friday afternoon in Brooklyn.
 
Freshman Maxwell Land added 10 points for Saint Francis, which was held to four three-pointers in the contest. The Red Flash trailed by three at the half before the Sharks used a pair of second-half runs to build a double-digit cushion.
 
Long Island 71, Saint Francis 58
Records: Saint Francis (1-6, 0-3), Long Island (3-1, 3-1)
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
 
COACH KRIMMEL'S COMMENTS
"It's certainly not the road trip we were hoping for when we left Loretto. I thought after a hard-fought game last night, in which we shot ourselves in the foot with too many turnovers, we came out with a better focus defensively. There was a stretch in the second half with a couple turnovers and missed opportunities that allowed them to open up the lead. We're all in the same situation with the back-to-backs, but I thought they had a little more bounce in their step, especially in the second half."  
 
KEY MOMENTS

• The Red Flash jumped in front by one on a pair of occasions early in the second half, but the Sharks responded with a 11-2 run to regain an eight-point advantage.
• An 8-0 LIU run over two minutes opened the Shark lead to 16 midway through the second half. The hosts would lead by double digits the rest of the way. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• LIU knocked down five of its first eight shots to take a 12-6 lead at the first media break of the contest.
• A layup from freshman Ronell Giles, Jr. ended a scoring drought of nearly three minutes and brought the Red Flash back within 19-13 with 8:12 to play in the half.
• The Sharks pushed the lead to 21-13 before a stretch with five points from Land got the Red Flash to a three-point margin at 24-21 with 3:33 to play in the half.
• A pair of Land free throws helped SFU pull within one at 26-25 with 24 seconds remaining in the half, but LIU beat the halftime buzzer with a layup to lead by three at the break.
• Four points in the opening minute of the second half gave the Red Flash its first lead at 29-28 with 19:10 to play.
• SFU led 31-30 before an 11-2 Sharks run powered the hosts' lead back to eight with 15:52 remaining.
• LIU used an 8-0 run over a stretch of 2:14 to expand the lead to 54-38, prompting an SFU timeout with 11:37 to play.
• The Sharks would grow their advantage to as many as 20 in the closing minutes before the Red Flash scored the game's final seven points, courtesy of freshmen Zahree Harrison, Josh Cohen, and Brad McCabe.

STATS

• Dixon-Conover matched his career high with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting and tied a career best with seven rebounds.
• Land chipped in with 10 points and his first two career blocks.
• Senior Mark Flagg and junior Myles Thompson grabbed nine rebounds each to lead the team. The Sharks out-rebounded the Red Flash, 41-39.
• The Red Flash shot 41.4% for the game, while the Sharks were at 42.3%.
• Saint Francis committed 21 turnovers.

GAME NOTES

• Saint Francis drops to 40-42 all-time against Long Island.
• Dixon-Conover's 21-point performance matched his effort in the November 25 win at Pitt.
• Dixon-Conover and Giles, who had 19 points Thursday, have contributed for SFU's three highest individual scoring outputs of the season.
• Thursday and Friday marked the first time Saint Francis played a back-to-back since opening the 2005-06 season with games Nov. 8-9 in Syracuse against Cornell and Bethune-Cookman.
• This week marked the first time Saint Francis played consecutive games against the same opponent since defeating Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 31, 2015 in Loretto, and five days later in Hackensack.

UP NEXT 
The Red Flash hosts Bryant for the first of a two-game set Thursday at DeGol Arena. The game will exclusively air on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. with Pat Farabaugh and Dave Calloway 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.