WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Almost one week after
Eli Wilborn (Middletown, Conn.) had a career-high 19 points and the No. 4 play on Sports Center, sophomore
Miles Webb (Arlington, Va.) tried to replicate those feats with a poster dunk of his own in the first half and finished with a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a 75-71 win against Sacred Heart in Northeast Conference (NEC) men's basketball action on Thursday.
>> Webb finished the game 8-for-12 shooting from the floor, 2 of 2 from 3-point land and 1 of 2 from the free throw line.
>> Wilborn, the current NEC Rookie of the Week, posted 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two assists, while
Carlos Lopez, Jr. (Egg Harbor, N.J.) added 14 points in the winning effort.
>> The Red Flash made some history by starting an all-freshmen lineup for the first time in program history and is also believed to be the first time in NCAA Division I this season.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Trailing 45-42 with 14:21 left, Saint Francis went on a decisive 20-7 run to take the lead it would not relinquish. Webb and
Wisler Sanon II (Sickerville, N.J,) both had seven points in the run, and both made a triple. Sanon's 3-pointer at12:15 bounced off the rim and high up the air before falling through the netting to give the Red Flash the lead for good.
The preseason No. 1 Pioneers made it a game in the closing minute of the game, cutting the deficit to 73-71 with 22 seconds left.
Aaron "Ace" Talbert (Wyandanch, N.Y.) made the backend of two free throws with 18 seconds left and then Wilborn corralled the defensive rebound on a missed Sacred Heart shot with five ticks remaining. The freshman then iced the game with one free throw.
FLASH QUOTES
"To come in and play the way they did after a really tough performance on the road against Le Moyne.
Luke McConnell before the game told our guys that in situations like this, your culture is revealed, and it can be revealed in one of two ways. People going their own direction and pointing fingers or pulling for each other and doing something special The energy that our guys played with from the opening tip was it was a credit to these guys."
– head coach Rob Krimmel on the game
"We have some really selfless kids and I put
Miles Webb at the top of that list. He pulls for his teammates and he wants his teammates to do well. Those traits eventually lead to success. As a basketball coach, you want that success to be out on the court. He was he was a big reason we were able to win the game tonight."
– Krimmel on Miles Webb
"Wisler gave us a huge lift with his energy defensively. Very pleased with the performance." –
Krimmel on Wisler Sanon II
"It is important to me just to seize every opportunity I get. I love going to work with these guys. I love his work in every game practicing just taking advantage of the opportunity I get"
– Miles Webb on his game tonight
"I have a high expectation for myself to come in and do it. I know I can do bring energy, whether it's defense or offense and getting all the guys involved. I feel like if we stay together, we play way better."
– Wisler Sanon II on the game
FLASH MOMENTS
While it was the 20-7 run that helped the Frankies take the lead for good, Saint Francis went on a 10-3 run early in the second half to tie the game at 42. Lopez was the catalyst for this spurt with a pair of 3's while
Bobby Rosenberger III (Quakertown, Pa.) and
Aidan Harris (Annapolis, Md.) each had buckets in the run.
Trailing 13-12, Saint Francis scored five unanswered points to take a 17-13 lead with 12:50 remaining in the first half. Rosenberger scored in the lane and Webb hit his first trey of the game.
Webb's highlight dunk came with 2:22 left in the first half.
FLASH NUGGETS
Webb notched his fourth 10+ point game this season, but his previous high was 11 points against San Francisco on November 9 and also had 10-point games against Franciscan on November 22 and 10 points near his hometown at American on December 2. After the game in the nation's capital, the sophomore had 21 points in the next 10 games and went 8-for-20 from the floor in that stretch before his breakout performance on Thursday. Webb also became the first player on the team not named Wilborn with three blocks in a game.
Wilborn registered double figures for the fourth-straight game and the 12th time this season to tie for the team lead for 10+ point games this season. The freshman also had seven rebounds for the 11th time on the year. Wilborn is also shooting 23-for-32 from the floor in his last four contests.
While Wilborn celebrated his birthday with a career-high 19 points against LIU last week, Lopez looked to start his birthday week early with his second-straight 10+ point game and his seventh on the year. All seven have come in his last 11 games. Lopez will get another chance at a birthday present with his birthday on Saturday.
Rosenberger finished with nine points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists. Talbert added seven points and seven assists, while Harris posted six points and six rebounds. Sanon chipped in seven points, all in that crucial run.
Saint Francis shot 63.0 percent in the second half after hitting on 17 of 27 shots. The Red Flash also shot 60.7 percent in the second half against Mount St. Mary's on December 15.
The Red Flash employed a starting lineup of freshmen Harris, Lopez, Rosenberger, Talbert and Wilborn. All five freshmen had started a game previously this season, but Thursday marked the first time the Frankies had an all-freshmen lineup in program history. It is also believed to be the first freshmen lineup in NCAA Division I this season. Saint Francis, Holy Cross and Kentucky each had started four freshmen together before the Flash five on the night.
The Red Flash improved to 11-1 against Sacred Heart in DeGol Arena under head coach
Rob Krimmel. The loss was in his first season so the Frankies have won the last 11 times against the Pioneers in what might be their final time in Loretto.
Krimmel won his 99th league game as a head coach and needs one win to become the 12th head coach in NEC history with 100 regular season wins.
NEXT UP
Saint Francis returns to action on Saturday at home against Merrimack. Game time is 4 p.m. School-age students get into the game for free and parents enter with the $5 group rate. The game will air on ESPN+.
