LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team nearly erased a 16-point second-half deficit, but was unable to convert on opportunities in the final minute, falling 70-67 to St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday night at DeGol Arena.
 
Senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover scored 19 points, while junior Myles Thompson added 11 and freshman Ronell Giles, Jr. chipped in 10.
 
The Red Flash held the Terriers to six points in the final nine minutes of the contest and none in the closing 3:30 of the contest to fuel the comeback bid, but came one shot away from forcing overtime.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn 70, Saint Francis 67
Records: Saint Francis (5-13, 4-10 NEC), St. Francis Brooklyn (5-7, 5-6 NEC)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
 

Postgame highlights and comments from @SFUcoachkrim and @RDC2__ following a Thursday night @NECsports clash in Loretto.

🔴⚡️ BELIEVE | #NECMBB pic.twitter.com/70cebaHYos
— Saint Francis Men's Basketball (@RedFlashMBB) February 12, 2021
 

COACH KRIMMEL'S COMMENTS
"I'm certainly proud of the way our guys came out and competed. We got down a couple times in the first half and we got down by 16 points in the second half. Like this team has all year, they keep scrapping. We had another opportunity to tie the game at the end and the ball didn't go our way. We put ourselves in a position late in the game to tie or win the game.
 
We told the team coming out of halftime to chip away at it. First media, we wanted to win that; second media, we wanted to win that. Then they went on a bit of a run. Everyone's going to look at the end of the game and the last couple possessions, but we need to clean some things up at the 12-minute mark of the second half and the 16-minute mark of the first half, because in these close games, every possession matters. The challenge for us is to make those plays. I'm excited to go back at it tomorrow and have another opportunity to compete."
 
KEY MOMENTS

• St. Francis Brooklyn used a 12-0 first-half run to jump in front by nine and led by 11 at the break.
• The Terriers ran off 13 straight points to lead 64-48 with nine minutes remaining in the contest.
• The Red Flash answered with a 14-3 stretch to get back within five with four minutes to play.
• Saint Francis had three opportunities in a one-possession game in the final minute, but an offensive foul and a missed three allowed the Terriers to escape with the three-point margin.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Dixon-Conover scored the Red Flash's first seven points as Saint Francis led 7-2 early.
• A 12-0 Terriers run put the visitors in front 22-13 and prompted a Red Flash timeout with 10:51 to play in the opening half.
• Threes from redshirt sophomore Bryce Laskey and Thompson got Saint Francis within 26-24, prompting a Terrier timeout with 7:36 to play in the half.
• The Terriers extended the lead to 44-33 at the half while shooting 50 percent from the field.
• Four points in seven seconds from Thompson – two technical free throws and a layup – cut the deficit to 49-44 with 15:57 remaining in the contest. Two free throws from redshirt freshman Josh Cohen got the margin back within three.
• The Red Flash was within 51-48, but the Terriers responded to score the next 13 and take their largest lead of the night at 64-48 with nine minutes to play.
• A 14-3 Saint Francis run got the Red Flash back to a five-point deficit at 67-62 with 4:02 remaining.
• The Red Flash cut the Terrier lead to 70-67 on a key three from junior Marlon Hargis and had three opportunities in a one-possession game in the final minute, but an offensive foul and missed three enabled the visitors to hold on for the three-point decision.
• The final possession was enabled by senior Mark Flagg reading a Terrier pass into the paint and picking it off, forcing a turnover in a situation in which the Red Flash may have otherwise needed to foul.

 
STATS

• Dixon-Conover was 8-of-13 from the field and added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
• Thompson added seven rebounds to his 11 points and was 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.
• Giles tallied four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
• Flagg grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• Giles, Hargis, and freshman Jeriah Coleman each recorded two of the Red Flash's season-high six blocks.
• The Red Flash shot 43.1%, while the Terriers were at 42.4%.
• SFU held a 36-34 rebounding advantage.
• Hargis' three with 1:43 to play was the Red Flash's only made shot from distance in the second half and proved to be the final points of the game. 

GAME NOTES

• The Red Flash drops to 45-41 all-time against the Terriers.
• The start for Giles was the second of his career.
• Saint Francis was without the services of redshirt freshman Luke Ruggery and freshman Maxwell Land, both of whom had previously appeared in every game this season. In their absence, Flagg is left as the only Red Flash player to appear in every game this year. The 2020-21 season marks the first time since 1991-92 that Saint Francis has not had multiple players appear in every contest (no players appeared in all 29 games that season.)

UP NEXT 
The Red Flash and Terriers close out their two-game set Friday at 4 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
 
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.