Saint Francis University (4-10, 0-3 NEC) at LIU  (4-9, 1-2 NEC)
Date | Time	Saturday, January 8, 2022 | 2 p.m
Location	Brooklyn, N.Y. | Steinberg Wellness Center
Television	NEC Front Row
Live Stats	SideArm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis | LIU
Stats	Saint Francis | LIU | 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.	13.2	5.1	41.9	Averaged 15.0 pts, 4.0 rebs, and 4.5 asts per game vs LIU last year
G	4	Ronell Giles, Jr.	6-4	185	So.	12.2	3.6	37.7	Scored 19 points in first game against LIU in 20-21
G	11	Maxwell Land	6-4	185	So	9.3	3.9	40.5	Scored 10+ in four of last six games
F	5	Myles Thompson	6-6	220	Sr.	11.3	3.9	44.4	Averaging 11.3 ppg in last four games
F	42	Mark Flagg	6-9	215	R-Sr.	4.8	4.9	44.4	Needs 38 rebounds to join Top-20
Off the Bench
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	1	Zahree Harrison	6-0	190	So.	2.1	0.9	30.,0	Dished out two assists in seven games this season
G	3	Luke Ruggery	5-11	160	R-So.	2.0	0.8	25.9	Scored points in seven of 14 games this season
F	13	Marlon Hargis	6-5	205	Sr.	6.4	2.3	46.3	Three games with at least 10 points this season
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.	0.7	0.7	50.0	Appeared in three games
G	21	Ben Seidel	6-0	170	Jr.	0.7	0.0	50..0	Scored first points since freshman year against Illini
G/F	22	Tyler Stewart	6-8	195	R-Sr.	--	--	--	Has not played in first 12 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.	0.3	0.7	14.3	Appeared in six games this season
F	32	Jeriah Coleman	7-0	220	So.	2.2	1.4	55.0	Tied career high with two blocks against SFBK
F	33	Josh Cohen	6-10	220	R-So.	11.1	6.1	66.7	Leads the NEC in field goal percentage

GAME NOTES VS. LIU
need to know... The game between Saint Francis and LIU marks the 83rd meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1963-64 season.
•  The Sharks took the two games in Brooklyn last year by scores of 78-75 and 71-58.
• LIU leads the series on its home floor 26-11 including the last three tilts. The Sharks have also won 11 of the 13 meetings since moving into the Steinberg Wellness Center.
• Three of the last four matchups have taken place in Brooklyn. LIU will visit DeGol Arena for the first time since the 2019-20 season when the season series is completed on Feb. 17.
• Head coach Rob Krimmel is 8-10 against the Sharks. The two teams have split the last 10 meetings in the series at five games apiece.

a sfu win would... Be the first NEC win of the year
• End a five-game losing streak
• End a three-game skid on the road against the Sharks
• Be the first win of 2022 for the team
• Give the Red Flash a win in three different states (Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York)

next on tap... Saint Francis continues its four-game road trip with its New England swing at Merrimack on Friday and at Bryant on Jan. 17.
• The Red Flash returns home on Jan. 21 for CCSU on ESPN +, and Sacred Heart two days later.
• Saint Francis will play six of its eight games on the road in the month of January.
• The team will wrap up the month of January at Wagner (Jan. 27) and at the Mount (Jan. 29).

the word on the sharks... LIU comes into the contest 4-9 overall and 1-2 in league play after defeating Mount St. Mary's 74-57 on Thursday.
• The Sharks are 4-0 at the Steinberg Wellness Center this season.
• Ty Flowers paced LIU against the Mount with 23 points. Eral Penn (20 points) and Tre Wood (12 points) also found double figures in the game.
• Flowers leads the team in scoring (17.8 ppg.), steals (24) and blocks (19).
• Penn is second on the team in scoring (15.5 ppg.) and rebounds (6.6 rpg.).
• Isaac Kante is also averaging double figures with 12.7 points per game, while Wood fuels the team with 48 assists.

last time we met... LIU defeated Saint Francis 71-58 on January 8, 2021.
• Ramiir Dixon-Conover fueled the Red Flash with 21 points, while Maxwell Land added 10 points.
• Eral Penn led the Sharks with 20 points. Alex Rivera (16 points) and Ty Flowers (10 points) also found double figures.

last time out... Saint Francis lost 70-53 at St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday.
• Senior Myles Thompson posted 17 points to pace the Loretto program.
• Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover added 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

national ranking... Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover ranks 29th in steals with 2.17 thefts per game.
• Redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen ranks 20th in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage through games on Thursday. Cohen is in the rankings based on three made field goals per game with his 66.7 percent. The redshirt sophomore sat in second place for the week prior to the Illinois game for five made field goals per game.
• The team also ranks in the Top-100 nationally in three categories. The squad is 59th in offensive rebounds per game (12.15), 72nd in turnover margin (+2.5) and 74th in turnovers per game (11.8).

trending up... Senior Myles Thompson paced the Red Flash with 17 points against St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday. It is the fourth time this season the senior has scored at least 17 points in a game this season and 10th time in his career.
• Thompson has scored double figures in three of the last four games he has played. He is averaging 11.3 points per game in that stretch and 14.3 points per game in the three contests he started.
• Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover ended his two-game streak of being held under 10 points with 14 points on Thursday. The redshirt senior has registered double figures in seven of the eight games he has played away from Loretto and is averaging a team-best 12.9 points per game on the road. In addition, Dixon-Conover has hauled in at least four boards in 11 games and at least three assists in 12 of the 13 contests he has played.
• Sophomore Maxwell Land has registered double figures in four of his last six games and is averaging 10.0 points per game in that stretch. Land has registered five of his seven 10+ point games on the road, but his two games in double figures away from Loretto was a pair of 15-point performances at Ohio University (Dec. 4) and Hartford (Dec. 14). While he is averaging 7.0 points per game on the road this season, the sophomore's splits were reversed last year with six of his nine 10+ games taking place on the road.
• For the first time since joining the starting lineup, sophomore Ronell Giles, Jr. has been held under 10 points  for consecutive games. The sophomore had a streak of nine-straight games in double figures and has reached 10 points in a game in 16 of the 20 games he has started. Giles averaged 15.1 points per game in his nine-game streak that ended against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 31.

road warriors part deux... After playing at home for a three-game homestand, Saint Francis is in the midst of its second four-game road trip of the season. The Red Flash will have spent 21 of the 45 days over the span of December 4-January 17 on the road riding on a bus or a hotel.
• It will also mark the seventh time the Loretto program will play four straight conference games on the road, joining the 1988-89, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2004-05 and 2006-07 teams.
• Saint Francis has not been too successful in these trips, posting no more than one win per four-game road trip:
Year NEC Season Record (4-game road trip record)
2020-21 - 0-3 (0-1)
2006-07 – 5-13 (0-4)
2004-05 – 10-8 (1-3)
1999-00 – 7-11 (1-3)
1998-99 – 7-11 (0-4)
1993-94 – 9-9 (1-3)
1992-93 – 7-11 (1-3)
1988-89 – 6-10 (1-3)

you've lost that winning feeling... It marks the seventh time the Red Flash has endured a losing streak of five games or more under head coach Rob Krimmel.
• The team has lost five-straight games after defeating Hartford on Dec. 14
• Last year, the squad lost six-straight with the last two defeats coming at the hands of LIU before Saint Francis ended the streak with an 89-82 win against Bryant.
• Saint Francis has also overcome a long losing streak to notch some good feats before the end of the season.
• In 2016-17, the squad lost seven in a row including a loss to the preseason favorite, Fairleigh Dickinson, and opened league play 4-4 before ending with an 11-7 NEC record and a win in the CIT postseason tournament. The 2021-22 team also opened the circuit with a loss to the preseason favorite (Wagner).
• In 2013-14, the Red Flash had five- and six-game losing streaks. The team finished 8-10 in league play and advanced to the NEC Semifinals.

start to the league slate... Saint Francis has opened the NEC slate with three-straight losses for the second-straight year and the eighth time in program history (1984-85, 1987-88, 1991-92, 1994-95, 2005-06, 2010-11, 2020-21).
• With a win, the Red Flash can avoid an 0-4 start just like the 1984-85, 1991-92, 1994-95 and 2020-21 teams were able to accomplish.

in the nec… Redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover ranks second in steals (2.08), second in assist/turnover ratio (1.67), fourth in assists (3.85), sixth in minutes played (32.62) and ninth in the scoring (13.2 ppg.).
• Redshirt sophomore Josh Cohen leads the conference in field goal percentage (66.7),and ranks fourth in the circuit in offensive rebounds (2.54) and 18th in scoring (11.1 ppg.).
• Sophomore Ronell Giles, Jr. ranks sixth in minutes played (32.46), seventh in steals (1.71), 10th in free throw percentage (73.3) and 13th in scoring (12.2 ppg.).
• Senior Myles Thompson ranks second in 3-point field goal percentage (48.7) and 17th in scoring (11.3 ppg.).
• Saint Francis ranks in the Top-5 in the Northeast Conference in 12 team categories
• After leading the conference for the majority of the non-conference slate in scoring offense, the Red Flash have dropped to fourth with 71.6 points per game.
• The Red Flash also ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (1.16). third in field goal percentage (43.1), third in 3-point field goal percentage (33.6), third in turnover margin (+2.43), third in offensive rebounds (11.79), third in rebounding margin (-0.7), fifth in steals (7.14), fifth in defensive rebounding (36.1), fifth in rebounding offense (35.8), fifth in assists (13.64), fifth in defensive rebounds (24.14), fifth in offensive rebound percentage (31.4) and fifth in defensive rebound percentage (69.6).

yada, yada yada... ramiir stuffed the stat sheet... There is alot to fall in love with in redshirt senior Ramiir Dixon-Conover's game.
•  He has posted double figures in 10 of the 12 games he has played this season, and has reached double figures in 24 of his last 27 games. He has recorded double figures 29 times in his career.
• Dixon-Conover is a stat stuffer and has grabbed five rebounds 23 times in his career including eight times this season.
• He also has 11 games this season with at least three assists and 45 in his career, and eight games with at least two steals in 2020-21 and 36 times in his career.
• Dixon-Conover became the sixth player in the nation to register 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game against a Division I opponent against Hartford on Dec. 18. He had a career-high six steals in the tilt against the Hawks.
• Dixon-Conover has seven 20-point performances, including a career-high 23 points against Bucknell on Dec. 1 and 20 points against Robert Morris on Dec 23.
• The redshirt senior has 13 games with 17 points or more in his career.
• Dixon-Conover moved over 600 points in his career in the first half against St. Francis Brooklyn on Jan. 6.
• Dixon-Conover also has 251 rebounds, 220 assists and 108 steals in his career.

march to some milestones... Redshirt senior Mark Flagg and senior Myles Thompson continue their march up the career charts.
• Flagg ranks third in program history with 110 career blocks, and is one of three players in program history to have 110 rejections.
•The redshirt senior grabbed his 600th career rebound in the first half against Illinois on Dec. 18, and currently has 613 caroms. He needs 38 rebounds to join the program's Top-20 list for career rebounds.
• Flagg has 845 career points, and needs 155 points to reach 1,000 for his career.
• Flagg reached 100 assists for his career after dishing out three assists against Wagner on Dec. 29.
•Thompson is 141 points away from 1,000 points. The team has 16 games left including postseason and Thompson would need to average 8.8 points per game to reach the milestone.
• Thompson needs 69 rebounds to reach 500 caroms for his career, currently sitting at 431 boards for his career.

not so fashionable... Saint Francis has now worn four different color uniforms this season.
• The Red Flash have donned black, white, red and gray uniforms this season. The squad won its season debut with the white jersey against Franciscan on Nov. 15, but lost its first game wearing black (George Washington, Nov. 9), red (Ohio University, Dec. 4) and gray (Robert Morris, Dec. 22).
• White: Record 2-1 (Franciscan, Bucknell, Wagner)
• Black: Record - 2-5 (George Washington, Virginia Tech, Cornell, Lehigh, at St. Francis Brooklyn)
• Red: Record: 0-2 (Ohio U, Illinois)
• Gray: Record: 0-2 (Robert Morris, FDU)

home, sweet home, loretto... Saint Francis is 76-50 at DeGol Arena under head coach Rob Krimmel.
• The Red Flash is 50-32 in Northeast Conference play at home, and 26-18 in non-conference action.
• Saint Francis is 2-3 this season at home after losing its last three at DeGol Arena. Its the first time since 2013-14 the squad has lost three-straight in Loretto.
• The Loretto program has registered a winning season at home from 2014 to 2020, and the squad posted at least a non-losing season in each of those campaigns.

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 105-31 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 seven games with at least 20 points in his career. Dixon-Conover registered five 20-point performances in 2020-21 and reached 20 points against Bucknell (23 points) on Dec. 1 and against Robert Morris (20 points) on Dec. 22.
• 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.

non-conference slate.. Saint Francis concluded its non-conference slate with a 4-7 record.
• It was the 14th time the team recorded at least four wins in the non-conference schedule 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.

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.