The Highlanders took the lead for good with 13:52 left in the first half, but it was 8-0 run in the final 83 seconds that pushed the Radford advantage to 13 points going into the locker room. The Highlanders scored the first six points of the second half to take its largest lead at 49-31 with 19:13 left. The Flash cut it to seven points twice the rest of the way but could get no closer.
"We had a decent focus and energy to start, but in the last four minutes of the first half and the first probably three minutes of the second half, we dug ourselves too deep of a hole to come back against a talented and experienced Radford team who's playing well."
"You can't wallow in your misery. You have to be able to come back for two days of practice and be locked in, focused, and understand what we're trying to do to get better as a program and as a team as we search for that identity. I challenged our guys for clear minds, clean hearts, be ready to be coached, and let's get after it for two days so that we put ourselves in a position to be the best version of ourselves on Wednesday."
"Coach always says, just stay ready. You never know what happens. Stay ready and next person up mentality. We need to focus on what we do and trust the process."Â
FLASH MOMENTS
With the game tied at 8, the Red Flash scored five points to take its largest lead at 13-8 thanks to a
Daemar Kelly 3-ball and a Cranford layup with 14:56 left in the first half.Â
A 13-2 run cut the margin to 51-44 in the second half with 12:29 remaining. Rosenberger had five points in the run, and Cranford had four points, including the bucket, to bring the Frankies within seven points.Â
Saint Francis used a 12-4 run in the final two minutes to cut a 15-point margin to seven points again with 14 seconds left but could get no closer the rest of the way. Rosenberger registered seven of the 12 points in the spurt.
Both teams scored 24 field goals, 11 of which were from behind the arc. The difference in the final score was that the Highlanders made nine more free throws than the Red Flash. Radford went 20-for-25 from the stripe, while Saint Francis was 11-for-13 at the line.
FLASH NUGGETS
Coming off a pair of 20-point performances, Rosenberger recorded 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. The sophomore has averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in the last three games. Rosenberger has registered double figures in eight games this season, including all seven against NCAA Division I teams.
Cranford has escalated his career-best performances in the last three games after posting seven points at Georgetown on November 23, 11 points against Lehigh on Tuesday, and 15 points against the Highlanders. He is shooting 10-for-22 from the floor (45.5 percent) and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the last three games. The freshman has started the previous four games for the Frankies.
Parker was on a similar roll as Cranford with increasing his career outputs. Sunday was the first time he did not set a career-high in four games, but he still ended with his third-best scoring output and his fourth consecutive 10+ point game. The junior is averaging 17.0 points and 5.3 assists per game in the last four tilts. Parker stuffed the stat sheet by adding seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal against Radford. The seven boards tied his career high, while it was the fourth time this season he has dished five assists or more.
Miles Webb added nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Webb is averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in his last four games. Kelly had six points, five rebounds and four assists. It was the second straight game Kelly had five caroms in a game for a career-high tying performance, while his four helpers were a new standard for the sophomore.Â
