Men's Basketball 12/17/2021 7:51:00 AM

Saint Francis Men's Basketball Concludes Road Trip At Illinois On Saturday Afternoon

Saint Francis University (4-5) at University at Illinois (7-3)
Date \| Time	Saturday, December 18, 2021 \| 8 p.m
Location	Champaign, Ill. \| State Farm Arena
Television	Big Ten Network (Chris Vosters (play by play) and Trent Meacham (analyst)
Live Stats	SideArm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis \| Illinois \| Digital Program
Stats	Saint Francis \| Illinois \| Northeast Conference
Social Media	@RedFlashMBB \| #BELIEVE \| @RedFlashMBB \| Facebook

Saint Francis Probable Starters
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	2	Ramiir Dixon-Conover	6-3	185	R-Sr.	14.4	5.4	45.5	Ranks 15th in NCAA Division I in steals (2.40 pg)
G	4	Ronell Giles, Jr.	6-4	185	So.	13.3	3.6	42.6	Six straight 10+ games for second time in career
G	11	Maxwell Land	6-4	185	So	9.4	3.8	42.6	15 points in two of his last three games
F	5	Myles Thompson	6-6	220	Sr.	11.3	4.1	44.2	Career-high (points) was against a Power 6 Conference team
F	42	Mark Flagg	6-9	215	R-Sr.	15.5	6.0	45.0	Needs one rebound for 600 career rebounds
Off the Bench
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	1	Zahree Harrison	6-0	190	So.	2.1	1.0	32.0	Dished out three assists five times this season
G	3	Luke Ruggery	5-11	160	R-So.	2.4	1.1	28.6	Scored points in five of nine games this season
F	13	Marlon Hargis	6-7	205	Sr.	6.6	2.0	54.1	Led the team with 15 points in last Power 6 Conference game
F	15	Chukwu Ikediashi	6-8	220	R-Jr.	1.0	3.0	100	Appeared in two games, both at home
G	20	Brendan Scanlon	5-8	155	Fr.	1.0	1.0	50.0	Appeared in two games, both at home
G	21	Ben Seidel	6-0	170	Jr.	0.0	0.0	0.0	Saw action in two games this season, both at home
G/F	22	Tyler Stewart	6-8	195	R-Sr.	--	--	--	Has not played in first nine games
G	23	A.J. Labriola	6-2	185	Sr.	0.0	1.0	0.0	Appeared in two games this season
G	31	Brad McCabe	6-6	185	r-Jr.	0.4	0.8	16.7	Appeared in five games this season
F	32	Jeriah Coleman	7-0	220	So.	2.7	1.6	66.7	Career-high seven points and rebounds vs. Bucknell
F	33	Josh Cohen	6-10	220	R-So.	13.3	6.7	73.8	Ranks second in nation in FG percentage

GAME NOTES VS. ILLINOIS
need to know... The game between Saint Francis and Illinois marks the first meeting between the two teams in program history.
• The Red Flash are 5-16 against teams that are currently associated with the Big Ten.
• Head coach Rob Krimmel is 1-3 against the conference with a 73-68 win against Rutgers in 2014-15.
• Indiana was the last Big Ten opponent faced in the NIT in 2018-19.
• It will be the 16th tilt against a Power 6 team under Krimmel.
• Along with the win against the Scarlet Knights, the Loretto program also defeated Pittsburgh to open the 2020-21 season, 80-70.
• Saint Francis has played the most games against the Atlantic Coast Conference of the Power 6 with the Big East being the second-most conference played with 59 match ups.

a sfu win would be... Be the team's second two-game winning streak of the year
• Be the team's first back-to-back road wins of the season
• Be the second win against a Big Ten opponent under head coach Rob Krimmel
• Be the third win against a Power 6 team under Krimmel

next on tap... The Red Flash starts a three-game homestand and renews its rivalry with Robert Morris on Dec. 22. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Colonials defeated Saint Francis in the NEC Championship Game in 2020, and since Robert Morris left the conference for the Horizon League.
• Saint Francis will open up Northeast Conference play against Wagner on Dec. 29 at home.

the word on the illini... Illinois comes into the contest 7-3 after falling to No. 11 Arizona 83-79 on Saturday.
• Trent Frazier paced four Illini with 27 points. Alfonso Plummer (25 points), Jacob Grandison (14 points) and Kofi Cockburn (13 points, 13 rebounds) also found double figures in the contest.
• Cockburn leads the team with 21.4 points and 12.0 rebounds in seven games played.
• Plummer is averaging 16.7 points per game and Grandison is third with 12.7 points per game.
• Frazier leads the team in steals (14), while ranking fourth with 11.6 points per game.
• Coleman Hawkins fuels the squad in blocks, and Da'Monte Williams has dished out a team-high 34 assists.

last time we played a big ten team... Indiana defeated Saint Francis 89-72 in the opening round of the NIT on Mar. 19, 2021.
• Isaiah Blackmon paced the Red Flash with 21 points, while Jamaal King added 19 points.
• Saint Francis held a 40-34 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

last time out... Sophomore Ronell Giles, Jr. paced Saint Francis with 17 points, four assists and three steals to power the Red Flash past Hartford 81-66 in the Jack Phelan Classic on Tuesday.
• Redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen and sophomore Maxwell Land added 15 points apiece
• Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, six steals, five rebounds and five assists. It was the sixth time this season a player had at least 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game against a Division I opponent this season.
• The Red Flash posted 46 points in the first half, the most points in the first half this season.

national ranking... Redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen ranks second in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage through games on Tuesday.
• Cohen is shooting 73.7 percent from the floor, and he gained access to the national rankings after posting the needed six made field goals in a game against Hartford on Tuesday. He reached his sixth field goal in the game with 60 seconds left in the tilt.
• Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover ranks 15th in steals with 2.40 thefts per game.
• The team also ranks in the Top-100 nationally in four categories. The squad is 47th in the nation in turnover margin (+3.6), 62nd in points per game (78.7), 76th in turnovers per game (11.8) and 77th in offensive rebounds (12.00).

trending up... Sophomore Ronell Giles, Jr. paced the team in scoring for the second time this season against Hartford. He also had a team-best 19 points against Cornell on Nov. 24.
• Giles has posted six-straight games in double figures for the second time in his career. He finished the 2020-21 season with six-straight 10+ games. He is averaging 15.0 points per game in his current streak. Giles also registered at least three assists in his last four games and has 18 helpers in that span. The sophomore ranks second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg.), assists (24) and steals (15).
• Giles is second in all those categories on the team to redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover. You never know what you are going to get from Dixon-Conover, but its a sure bet that he will give the team at least 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and a couple of steals a game. He has posted at least 10 points in eight of nine games, three rebounds in all eight games with six games of five or more caroms, three assists in all eight games he has played and two steals six times. He recorded a career-best six thefts against Hartford. Dixon-Conover is averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals in his last two tilts.
• Dixon-Conover and redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen were named Northeast Conference Prime Performers for last week. Cohen has registered double figures for three straight games for the first time in his career and is averaging 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in that stretch. In addition, the redshirt sophomore has made 22 of his last 29 shots from the field and has posted double figures in five of his last six contests and six times this season. He is averaging a team-best 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on the road this season.
• After being held scoreless for the first time in his career, sophomore Maxwell Land responded with his second 15-point game in his last three games. Land made three baskets from behind the arc for the first time this season and the second time in his career. The sophomore is averaging 10.0 points per game in his last four contests
• Senior Myles Thompson is pretty much guaranteed to post at least eight points in a game, a feat that he has done in eight of the nine games this season. The senior has posted eight points twice, nine points three times and has three 10+ games including a season-high 19 points against Ohio on Dec. 4.
• Saint Francis has scored 70 points in eight of the nine games, and the team is 4-1 when the team scores at least 79 points in a game.
• The team has shot 50 percent from the field in each of the last five games. It is the most consecutive games shooting over 50 percent under head coach Rob Krimmel. The squad had three-straight games shooting over 50 percent in the 2017-18 season.
• The Loretto program is also looking for its first back-to-back road wins since defeating Wagner (Feb. 8, 2020) and Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 12, 2020).

non-conference slate.. The Northeast Conference schedule starts in two games and the team has recorded at least four wins in the non-conference schedule for the 14th time since joining the NEC.
• When the team wins at least three non-conference games, the squad has posted at least a .500 record in the circuit in nine of the previous 13 occasions including seven 10-win seasons in league play.
• Under head coach Rob Krimmel, the squad has won at least four non-conference games in 2014-16, and 2017-20. The Loretto program finished 2014-15 and 2015-16 with a 9-9 record, and then won 12 (2017-18, 2018-19) and 13 (2019-20) conference games in that span.
• In 2014-15 and 2017-18 the team participated in the CIT and in 2019-20 advanced to the NEC Championship Game.
• In 2018-19, Saint Francis started the year 4-5 and went on to win the NEC regular season, and play in the conference championship game and the NIT.

little game time in the praire… Saint Francis will be playing its fourth game against the state of Illinois.
• The Red Flash have only played Illinois – Chicago from the state and all three of those contests have taken place in Chicago (1983-84, 1999-00, 2017-18).
• The Loretto program is looking for its first win in the state.

in the nec… Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover leads the circuit in assists (4.25) and steals (2.40), and ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (2.42), fourth in the scoring (14.8 ppg.), 10th in field goal percentage (47.7).
• Redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen leads the conference in field goal percentage (73.8), and ranks fifth in rebounding (6.7), sixth in the circuit in offensive rebounds (2.33), seventh in free throw percentage (78.9), ninth in defensive rebounds (4.00) and ninth in scoring (13.3 ppg.).
• Sophomore Ronell Giles, Jr. paces the league in minutes played (33.44) and ranks sixth in steals (1.67), ninth in scoring (13.3 ppg.) and 10th in assists (2.67).
• Senior Myles Thompson ranks eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (42.3)and 16th in scoring (11.3 ppg.).
• Senior Mark Flagg ranks 10th in blocked shots (0.75), eighth in offensive rebounds (2.00), and ninth in defensive rebounds (4.29)
• Saint Francis ranks in the Top-5 in the Northeast Conference in 19 team categories, including pacing the league in scoring offense (78.7 ppg.), scoring margin (+4.3), field goal percentage (46.7), assist/turnover ratio (1.23) and offensive rebound percentage (33.1).
• The Red Flash also ranks second in 3-point field goal percentage (32.9), second in rebound margin (+3.56), second in rebounding offense (37.9), second in turnover margin (+3.12), second in offensive rebounds (12.00), third rebounding margin (+4.6), third in free throw percentage (72.1), third in steals (8.33), fourth in defensive rebound percentage (71.3), fourth in defensive rebounds (25.89), fourth in defensive rebounding (34.7), fourth in assists (14.44), fifth in field goal defense (44.8) and fifth in blocked shots (3.00).

continuing where he left off... Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover was the team's leading scorer in 2020-21. He has posted double figures in 23 of the last 28 games he played including 22 of his last 25 games.
• Dixon-Conover has six 20-point performances, including a career-high 23 points against Bucknell on Dec. 1.
• The redshirt senior has 12 games with 17 points or more in his career.
• Dixon-Conover moved over 500 points in his career with his career-high performance against Bucknell. He also has over 200 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals for his career.

only flagg in name, not on his play... Redshirt senior Mark Flagg started his final season in red and black with back to back double-doubles after posting 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds against George Washington on Nov. 9, and 11 points and 10 rebounds against Franciscan on Nov, 15. It is the second time in his career he has posted consecutive double-doubles.
• With his 44 points to start the year, Flagg now has 827 points for his career on his march toward 1,000 career points.
• He has notched six rejections to start the season to sit in third place in program history with 109 blocks. Flagg can move into second place with 28 rejections.
• Flagg is now one of six players with 100 blocks, and if he reaches 110 knock aways he would be only the third player in team history with 110 blocks.
• Flagg also needs one rebound for 600 caroms and four assists to reach 100 for his career.
• According to KenPom, Flagg recorded a defensive rebound on 41 percent of George Washington's possessions.

career night... Redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen notched a career-best 23 points against American on Dec. 8 after establishing a then career-best against Cornell on Nov. 24 and again against Lehigh on Nov. 28. Cohen had a career-best 11 boards against Franciscan on Nov. 15.
• Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover scored a career-best 23 points against Bucknell on Dec. 1.
• Redshirt sophomore Luke Ruggery posted a career-best nine points against Bucknell, while sophomore Jeriah Coleman had a personal-high seven points and seven rebounds against the Bison on Dec. 1.
• Senior Marlon Hargis has improved his best scoring output in the Red and Black in the last two games. After reaching a then-best 15 points against Virginia Tech on Nov. 18, Hargis scored two more points for 17 points against Cornell on Nov. 24. The senior's career high is 19 points against Harvard on Nov. 22, 2019 when he played for Holy Cross.
• Sophomore Maxwell Land posted a career-high 19 points against Franciscan on Nov. 15.
• Redshirt senior Mark Flagg hauled in a career-high 17 rebounds against George Washington on November 9.

benchmarks for success... Saint Francis is 4-4 this season when it reaches 70 points in a game, and 4-1 when it posted 79 points.
• Seventy is usually a magic number for success under head coach Rob Krimmel. The squad is 92-49 overall when it posts 70 on the scoreboard, including 42-35 (70-79 points), 38-12 (80-89 points), 12-2 (90-99 points) and 10-0 (over 100 points) in a game.
• The squad is also 105-30 when leading at halftime, and 92-54 when it had more free throws than the opponent.
• Defensively, the team is 73-31 when it allows under 69 points in a game. This season, the team is 4-0 after allowing 54 points against Franciscan,68 points to Lehigh, 67 points to Bucknell and 66 points against Hartford.

first collegiate points... Freshman Brendan Scanlon, the lone newcomer on the team, notched his first collegiate action against Franciscan on Nov. 15. The freshman registered a pair of rebounds and received a huge ovation when he scored off the glass with 27 seconds left for his first collegiate points.

preseason poll... Saint Francis was picked eighth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll. Wagner College received seven of the 10 first place votes to be selected as the preseason favorite. Bryant University picked up two first place nods to finish second, while Mount St. Mary's University earned the final first place selection to place fourth. Long Island University, Merrimack College, Sacred Heart University, St. Francis Brooklyn, the Red Flash, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Central Connecticut State rounded out the 10-team poll.

captain, my captain... Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover, senior Myles Thompson and sophomore Luke Ruggery have been named team captains for the 2021-22 season.
• Dixon-Conover and Thompson were also team captains in 2020-21.

20-point club... Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover leads the team with six games with at least 20 points in his career. Dixon-Conover registered five 20-point performances in 2020-21 and notched his first one of the season in 2021-22 against Bucknell on Dec. 1.
• Redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen joined the 20-point club after his career-high 23-point outburst against American on Dec. 8. The 23 points matched Dixon-Conover's total for the most points scored in a game this season by a Red Flash player.
• Redshirt seniors Mark Flagg and Tyler Stewart, and senior Myles Thompson both have one 20-point performance in their career. Flagg posted his 20-point game in 2018-19 while Stewart and Thompson both recorded their 20-point game in 2019-20.
• Sophomore Ronell Giles, Jr. posted two 20-point games last year with his career-best 21 points in the first match up against Bryant.

double vision... Redshirt senior Mark Flagg posted double-doubles in his first two games this season, while sophomore Josh Cohen turned the trick against Franciscan on Nov. 15, and against Lehigh on Nov. 28.
• Flagg posted the first double-double of this season with 17 points and 17 rebounds against George Washington on November 9, and followed that performance up with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Franciscan. Cohen had 11 points and a career-best 11 rebounds against Franciscan, and 18 points and 10 rebounds against Lehigh on Nov. 28.
• Flagg now has five double-doubles and Cohen has three double-doubles in their career. Senior Myles Thompson also has three career double-doubles.
• Cohen, Flagg and Thompson each have double-doubles that are points and rebounds. Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover has two double-doubles in his career, one with points and rebounds and one that is with points and assists against Bryant last season.

boards up... Redshirt senior Mark Flagg has six double-digit rebound games in his career with two coming this season, including a career-high 17 caroms against George Washington on November 9.
• Sophomore Josh Cohen has two career 10+ rebound games, including a career-best 11 boards against Franciscan and 10 caroms against Lehigh on Nov. 28.
• Senior Myles Thompson ranks second on the team with three 10+ rebound games.

within hop, skip and a jump of loretto... Saint Francis has three local players on the team. Senior A.J. Labriola (Altoona), junior Ben Seidel (Johnstown) and redshirt sophomore Luke Ruggery (Duncansville) all hail from within 30 minutes of the Saint Francis campus.

flash return... Saint Francis returns all, but two players from last year's team.
• The squad returns 91 percent of its minutes, points and rebounds from last year.
• The Red Flash also returns its Top-6 scorers from 2020-21 with redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover leading the way with 15.5 points per game and senior Myles Thompson ranking second with 10.1 points per game. Redshirt senior Mark Flagg led the team on the boards with 6.0 rebounds per game.

coaches dream team... Head coach Rob Krimmel has assembled a coaching staff with strong ties to Saint Francis.
• Krimmel, a 2000 graduate of Saint Francis, was an Academic All-American.
• Assistant coach Eric Taylor, a 1998 graduate, was a three-time All-NEC selection, ranks 23rd in program history in points (1,287) and fifth in rebounding (967).
• Graduate assistants Ronnie Drinnon, an All-NEC first team selection as a senior and Jamaal King, who was named to the all-conference first team in his last two seasons, both played for Krimmel and also have etched their name into Saint Francis lore. King ranks 10th in program history in points (1,517 points) while Drinnon is 11th in rebounding (804). Drinnon graduated from Saint Francis in 2016 and King graduated in 2019.
• Assistant coach Luke McConnell, a 2012 Saint Francis graduate, played on the Red Flash football team as a student-athlete. McConnell is the son of former Saint Francis men's basketball head coach Tom McConnell (1992-99), while his cousin T.J. McConnell is in his seventh season in the NBA.

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