>> Saint Francis made a late push in the second half, but the Red Flash could not overcome a Mount St. Mary's run to end the first half and begin the second half. On Saturday, the Mount ended with a 64-58 win in non-conference men's basketball action.
paced Saint Francis with 14 points.
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
After Rosenberger gave the Red Flash a 28-26 edge, the Mount went on a 23-7 run to end the first half and start the first eight minutes of the second half to take the lead it would not relinquish.
The Red Flash posted a furious comeback to cut it to four points three times but could get no closer. Twice with the margin at four points, the Mount missed the shot but got the offensive rebound and the put-back to halt the Saint Francis momentum.
FLASH QUOTES
"Throughout our season, when we have been able to compete with teams in our peer group, we have proven that we can respond to some adversity in the game. Right now, the challenge for this group is not to put ourselves in a 16-point hole, especially on the road against an excellent basketball team. We had a stretch there to start the second half, and in the middle of the second half, we lost focus and allowed them to create some momentum. I will give our guys some credit. We battled back and got it to a two-possession game, but you can't keep living on the edge like that. I challenged the group in the response on how we respond at practice and continue to build on some of the good things we did but minimize the mistakes." -
head coach Rob Krimmel on learning from this game
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FLASH MOMENTS
An 8-0 run gave the Red Flash its first-night lead at 26-24. Rosenberger started the spurt with a trey at 5:32 and then had a tip-in basket at 4:24 before
Riley Parker drained a basket in front of the 3-point line at the top of the key for a two-point lead.Â
With the score tied at 26, Rosenberger gave Saint Francis the lead for the final time on the night of two charity tosses with 2:44 on the clock.
In the second half, the Frankies went on a 17-5 run to trim the margin to four points at 56-52 with 3:58 on the clock.
Juan Cranford, Jr. had four points in the run, including a nice layup off a pass from
Ace Talbert. Pinedo and
Daemar Kelly also had four points in this stretch. The squad would trim it to four points several more times the rest of the way but could get no closer.
FLASH NUGGETS
Rosenberger has registered double figures in every game this season and for the 18th time in his career. The sophomore has also grabbed at least five rebounds for the third time this season and 17th times in his career. Rosenberger posted 14 points and five rebounds in both games this week after posting those exact totals at Penn State on Tuesday.Â
Pinedo, who came into the game averaging 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his two games, has registered at least eight points in four straight contests. The junior had three steals in the first half to set a new career high.
Kelly and Talbert also finished the game with eight points, while Parker had a career-best seven points. Kelly notched his first 10-point game at Penn State.Â
This season is the 70th Anniversary of the 1954-55 Saint Francis team that advanced to the National Invitation Tournament Final Four and Maurice Stokes final collegiate season. The Mount is one of three teams on the schedule in 2024-25 that the Frankies also played that season. Like the meeting 70 years ago, Mount St. Mary's handed Saint Francis its second consecutive loss. Although in 1954-55, it was the only two-game losing streak the Red Flash had in the regular season. Â
This game at Mount St. Mary's ended a program-record five-game road trip to start the season. The Red Flash also had a five-game road trip to start the 1964-65 season.
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action when it hosts Penn State Schuylkill in the team's home opener on Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
