A 12-4 run by Penn State closed the first half to give the Nittany Lions the lead they would not relinquish at 45-38. The Frankies had a 7-2 run in the second half to cut the margin to four points at 49-45, thanks to a triple by Rosenberger and back-to-back buckets by Pinedo. A 15-4 run restored a double-figure lead for the State College program, and it never looked back to take the contest for the second year in a row.
"In a game like that, it was tight, and their pressure made us individuals and not a team. That's a good basketball team. There was a stretch where it was too individual. I'm glad that happened because there are things we need to learn as a team. We are only as good as the sum of our parts. It's not a one-man show or a two-man show; it's five guys on the court connecting. Our strength is in numbers. In those numbers, you have a job to do. If it's rebound, rebound; if it's shoot, shoot; if it's pass, pass. All of those things are part of the individual performance that you better bring to the table to the sum of our parts. We must take what we learned tonight, make improvements, and carry it over to the next time we play. That's the growth of this team."Â
FLASH MOMENTS
In a blink of an eye, Saint Francis was down 11-0 in the first two minutes of the game, but that did not stop the pesky Red Flash from taking the lead in the final three minutes of the opening frame, trying to become the first Saint Francis team to go into the locker room tied with a Power 5 school since at No. 25 Miami on December 17, 2022.
A 20-10 run handed the Red Flash its first lead of the game. Kelly had eight points in the run, including the jumper to give Saint Francis a 34-33 edge with 2:17 on the clock.
Ace Talbert and
Juan Cranford, Jr. each had five points, and Rosenberger added a basket.Â
The Red Flash went on a 7-2 run early in the first half. Rosenberger put the Frankies on the board with two free throws at 17:01 before Pinedo made a spectacular block on the defensive end that led to a Pinedo basket in the lane at 15:21. After the Nittany Lions momentarily halted the spurt,
Jeremy Clayville knocked down his first trey at 13:59.Â
FLASH NUGGETS
Rosenberger must enjoy playing State College. After posting a then career-high 19 points and nine rebounds in last year's meeting, the sophomore finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds on Tuesday. The sophomore had precisely 10 points in his first three games this season.Â
The 12 rebounds by Pinedo are the most by a Red Flash player against a Power 5 team under head coach
Rob Krimmel, and he became the third player to register a double-double in the last 13 years against the Big Dogs. Ronnie Drinnon (11 points, 10 rebounds, December 4, 2015, vs. Maryland) and Josh Cohen (18 points, 10 rebounds, December 3, 2022, vs. Ohio State) also turned the trick under the coach. Pinedo stuffed the stat sheet with two assists, two steals and two blocks. The junior is averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his last two games. He posted a career-high 15 points, including knocking down the decisive free throw in a 65-64 win  against Campbell on Sunday.
Kelly notched his first career double-figure performance after posting a then career-best eight points against Campbell. The sophomore has recorded 18 points in his last two games after posting 40 points in his freshman year at Quinnipiac in 2023-24.Â
Clayville finished with nine points, a career-high eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists. The freshman has posted nine points or more in three of the first four games of his collegiate career.
Talbert added eight points. The sophomore captain was coming off a weekend where he averaged 17.5 points per game, including 18 points at Campbell.
