WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Eight days after posting 19 points in a win against LIU, freshman Eli Wilborn (Middletown, Conn.) matched his career high in points and also posted a career-best 16 boards for Saint Francis against Merrimack in Northeast Conference (NEC) men's basketball action on Saturday.
>> Wilborn's 16 rebounds are the second most as a freshman in the Rob Krimmel era with Keith Braxton's 19 boards in 2016-17 the freshman standard under the 12th-year head coach. Aidan Harris (Annapolis, Md.) held the No. 2 spot after his 15-rebound performance at Lehigh on November 29 earlier this season.
>> Bobby Rosenberger III (Quakertown, Pa.) added 10 points and six rebounds.
>> The Warriors down the Red Flash, 74-55.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Merrimack took the lead from the jump and never trailed in the game. The Frankies cut it to a 47-40 margin with 10:15 left in the game, but a 7-0 run by the Warriors ended the thoughts of a comeback in front of the largest crowd of the season at DeGol Arena.

FLASH QUOTES
"First half, I thought we were just a little bit on our heels, and getting used to the aggressiveness of the way that they played. But certainly, pleased with the way we came back and executed some things in the second half. Despite being down early, we cut it to seven points with a good run to start the second half." – Rob Krimmel on the game

"It's in that experience of when you see the zone for the first time. As the game wore on, you could see more confidence with the basketball and more understanding of where we needed to get the ball. And now that's in the game." – Krimmel on playing against the zone

"It's kind of tough because of the way they play defense was my first time ever playing against the same zone the whole time." – Eli Wilborn on the Merrimack zone

"The next big step is just one keeping our heads high. Don't let this one game take our confidence away." – Wilborn on moving on to the next game

"Character is shown by the way you respond, and it all just starts in practice. I'm looking forward to our game on Thursday, and we're going to bounce back." – Aidan Harris on moving on to the next game

FLASH MOMENTS
Saint Francis' best run in the game came in the second half to trim a 43-25 deficit to 47-40 margin thanks to a 15-4 run in an eight-minute span. The 15 points were scored by six different Flash players with Rosenberger recording two baskets in the surge.

FLASH NUGGETS

Wilborn has registered double figures in five straight games with a pair of 19-point games, two 13-point performances, and a 14-point output in that stretch. The freshman has posted double-figures in points in seven of the eight league games this season and a team-leading 13 times this season. Wilborn registered his eighth double-double on the year and the fourth time he has turned the trick in the circuit. The Connecticut native added three blocks and two steals. The steals mark matches his career high for the fourth time and it is the seventh time he has turned away three shots in a game with his five blocks against Campbell on December 30 his personal best.

Wilborn's 16 rebounds are the most by a Red Flash player this season and tied for the second most in the NEC this season after Nico Galette of Sacred Heart had 17 boards against FDU on Saturday. It is the 22nd time under Krimmel a player has hauled in at least 15 rebounds in a season. With Wilborn and Harris each having a 15+ rebound game, it marks the first time that two players had 15 or more caroms in a game since 2016-17 when Braxton had his 19 boards against Stony Brook on December 16, 2016, and Josh Nebo registered 16 boards against Duquesne on November 16, 2016. Wilborn now owns three of the Top-5 performances for rebounds as a freshman under his coach. Along with the 16 caroms on Saturday, the freshman has 13-rebound games against Iona on December 10 and Wagner on January 6.

Rosenberger notched his eighth double-figure point game this season and third in league play. After registering his first three 10+ point games away from Loretto, the freshman has four of his last five at DeGol Arena. He finished with six rebounds for the second-straight game and has at least five boards in each of his last four games.

Miles Webb (Arlington, Va.), who had a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a 75-71 win against Sacred Heart on Thursday, posted five points and six rebounds to finish the week averaging 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Carlos Lopez, Jr. (Egg Harbor, N.J.) dished out a career-high seven assists to go along with seven points. It is the second time this season he has at least five dimes. Harris finished with four points and seven rebounds for his third consecutive game with at least five rebounds and seven of his last nine tilts.

Krimmel will head into the next road trip looking for his 100 NEC regular season win. The head coach won his first game and league game at home against CCSU, but won his 50 NEC regular season game at St. Francis Brooklyn on February 10, 2018.

NEXT UP
Saint Francis, who will play five of its last nine on the road, returns to action when it starts a two-game road trip at CCSU on Thursday. Game time is 7 p.m.