Comeback bid falls short at Merrimack
Miles McQuiggan
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team fought back from a double-digit deficit and had the ball with a chance to tie the game, but another fine defensive effort from Merrimack was too much for the Red Flash to overcome in a 59-54 setback Friday.
Senior
Ramiir Dixon-Conover led the Red Flash with 14 points and freshman
Ronell Giles, Jr. added 11, but Saint Francis was held to a season-low 31.1% from the field. Redshirt freshman
Josh Cohen and freshman
Maxwell Land grabbed nine rebounds each as Saint Francis held a season-best plus-13 advantage in rebounding.
Merrimack 59, Saint Francis 54
Records: Saint Francis (5-12, 4-9 NEC), Merrimack (6-4, 6-4 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court (North Andover, Mass.)
COACH KRIMMEL'S COMMENTS
"I told these guys that I'm proud of the way they continue to battle. We got a couple really clean looks that you need to fall in a game like this. The margin for error is very slim. To come out here and out-rebound them by 13 was encouraging; we challenged the guys last night to be a better rebounding team. Defensively, it's as good as we've played in back-to-back games with the exception of that stretch in the first half. The guys made some adjustments and put us in a position with 20 seconds to go to tie the game.
"There are a lot of lessons to learn in a basketball game and we're thankful to be able to play another one. It stings that the lessons have to be learned sometimes in a loss."
KEY MOMENTS
- A 12-2 Merrimack run turned a three-point Red Flash lead into a seven-point deficit with five minutes to go before halftime.
- The Red Flash cut a 15-point deficit to two with 18 seconds remaining, but a turnover in a three-point game cost Saint Francis an opportunity to tie.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Saint Francis led 16-13 before a 12-2 Merrimack prompted a Red Flash timeout with the Warriors leading 25-18 with 4:53 to play in the opening half.
- The Warriors led 30-23 at the half while limiting the Red Flash to 32% from the field.
- Merrimack extended the lead to 34-23 early in the second half, but Saint Francis responded, with a basket from Hargis and a Giles three bringing the Red Flash back within 36-30 with 13:55 to play.
- A pair of free throws allowed Merrimack to grow the lead to 52-37 with 6:07 to play before threes from Dixon-Conover and junior Marlon Hargis cut the gap to single digits with five minutes remaining.
- Five straight points from Dixon-Conover brought the deficit to within 56-54 with 18 seconds to go.
- Merrimack went 1-of-2 at the line, but Saint Francis turned it over on the ensuing possession, allowing the Warriors to seal the win with free throws.
STATS
- Dixon-Conover was 5-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from distance with six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
- Giles knocked down all three of his shots from beyond the arc. Hargis, redshirt sophomore Bryce Laskey, and Land each added a three.
- Land and Cohen hauled in nine rebounds each. The Red Flash held a 45-32 advantage on the glass, good for SFU's best rebounding margin and total of the season.
- The Red Flash assisted on 13 of 19 field goals. Seven different players recorded at least one assist.
- Merrimack shot 46% for the game, while Saint Francis was at 31.1%.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Francis drops to 0-3 all-time against Merrimack.
- The game was the first for the Red Flash in which neither team broke 60 points since a 59-56 loss at Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 3, 2018.
UP NEXT
The Red Flash returns home to host St. Francis Brooklyn Feb. 11-12 at DeGol Arena. The series opener on Thursday is slated for 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit
francis.edu.
