Saint Francis University (4-6) at Niagara University (4-6)
Date | Time	Saturday, December 14, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Location	Niagara University, N.Y. | Gallagher Arena
Television	ESPN+
Live Stats	Sidearm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis | Niagara
Stats	Saint Francis | Niagara | Northeast Conference
Social Media	@RedFlashMBB  | #BELIEVE | @RedFlashMBB | Facebook

 

Saint Francis Probable Starters
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
F	3	Miles Webb	6-8	190	Jr.	6.4	3.7	60.5	Posted 13 points, 12 rebounds in last tilt
G	4	Juan Cranford, Jr.	6-3	205	Fr.	7.1	2.6	41.7	10+ points in three straight
G	5	Daemar Kelly	6-5	195	So.	6.2	2.8	40.0	Career high rebounds (5) and assists (4) vs Radford
G	11	Riley Parker	6-2	195	Jr.	10.4	4.1	43.8	15 points, 10 assists in last game
G	14	Bobby Rosenberger III	6-5	205	So.	14.1	5.2	48.6	Five+ assists in seven straight games
Top Players Off the Bench
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	0	Chris Moncrief	6-6	190	Jr.	4.4	2.1	59.3	Career-high six rebounds in last tilt
G	2	Ace Talbert	6-0	185	So.	10.2	2.8	35.4	Averaging 12.8 ppg in last four games played
G	7	Jeremy Clayville	6-0	160	Fr.	9.1	2.6	39.2	Scored nine points in last game
G	15	Victor Payne	6-4	190	Fr.	2.6	1.9	37.5	Career-high nine points, six boards in last tilt
F	21	Gestin Liberis	6-9	225	Jr.	---	---	---	Averaged 11.0 ppg and 7.7 rpg in last four games played
G	23	Wisler Sanon II	6-4	190	Jr.	---	---	---	Averaging 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in last two games played
F	31	Valentino Pinedo	6-8	230	Jr.	8.0	7.2	52.5	Hauled in 11 boards at Geoegetown
F	32	Aidan Harris	6-7	205	So.	2.9	2.1	55.6	Season-high seven points vs. Lehigh

SELECT GAME NOTES VS. NIAGARA (FULL GAME NOTES PDF)

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Saturday's game between Saint Francis and Niagara marks the 28th meeting in the all-time series, dating back to the 1921-22 season. The Purple Eagles defeated the Red Flash 69-60 to reclaim the advantage in the all-time series, 14-13, but the Frankies won two of the last three in the series, including the previous match-up at the Gallagher Center, 93-87 on December 10, 2017.
• The Red Flash is 8-19 all-time against the MAAC with a 1-13 record on the road. The last win against a MAAC school was a 79-73 win against Niagara on November 30, 2018. The only win on the road against the conference was the last meeting against the Purple Eagles in upstate New York. Saint Francis also played at Mount St. Mary's earlier this year.
• Before Mount St. Mary's joined the MAAC, Niagara was the only team that head coach Rob Krimmel played in his tenure as a head coach. The Frankies have played Mount St. Mary's the last two years and traveled to New Rochelle to face Iona last year. Krimmel is 2-4 against the MAAC, and the two wins are against the Purple Eagles.
• Speaking of the Mount and Niagara, this game will have a former Saint Francis assistant coach on the home bench this season with the addition of Will Holland to the Niagara staff. Holland, a standout guard at Mount St. Mary's, was an assistant coach on Krimmel's staff from (2013-16).
• For the second time this season, Saint Francis will play four games in nine days or less. The Red Flash ended a five-game road trip to start the year at Clemson (November 8), Campbell (November 10), Penn State (November 12), and Mount St. Mary's (November 16). This time, the squad will travel to Niagara (December 14), Maryland (December 17), and Robert Morris (December 21) but will also have a short stop in Loretto for its annual game against Franciscan (December 19).
• It will be the sixth time under Krimmel the Red Flash will have four games in 10 days or less. It will be the second consecutive season the squad will turn the trick twice after the team started the 2023-24 season with four road games in a nine-game span and then had four games from November 20-29 last season, including the contest against Niagara. The loss to the Purple Eagles was the only loss during that four-game stretch. The team also had four games in 10 days in 2022-23 and 2014-15. Saint Francis hopes this time will be more like the 2014-15 season and the second span from last year when the Red Flash won three of four in that stretch.
• The interesting wrinkle in this portion of the schedule is that the Frankies had 10 days off before its tilt with Niagara and then will have 13 days off after it completes this four-game stretch over the Christmas/New Year break to get ready for Northeast Conference play on January 3 at home against CCSU.

AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Be the first win against a MAAC team since downing Niagara 79-73 at home on November 30, 2018, ending a four-game losing streak
• Be the first non-conference win in the state of New York since defeating Niagara 93-87 on December 10, 2017, ending a four-game losing streak
• Be the team's first winning streak since defeating Lehigh (November 30) and American (December 2) last season on the road

ABOUT THE PURPLE EAGLES
• Like the Red Flash, Niagara will have an extended time off after wrapping up the first weekend of conference play with an 80-62 loss to Merrimack on Sunday. The Purple Eagles are 4-6 on the year.
• Jhaylon Martinez paced the Purple Eagles against the Warriors with 14 points and six rebounds. Zion Russell added 13 points and six rebounds, while Jaeden Marshall chipped in 11 points.
• Olumide Adelodun leads the team with 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Jahari Williamson is second on the team with 11.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, and Marshall is third on the squad with 9.4 points per game.

LAST TIME WE MET
• Niagara defeated Saint Francis 69-61 on November 25, 2023 in Loretto.
• Cam Gregory paced the Red Flash with 22 points, and Gestin Liberis added 11 points. 
• Ahmad Henderson powered the Purple Eagles with 15 points, while Yaw Obeng-Mensah (12 points), Kwane Marble, Jr. (12 points), and Braxton Bayless (10 points) also posted double figures in the contest.
 

LAST TIME OUT
• Saint Francis doubled its pleasure doubled its fun in a 107-55 win against Penn State Shenago on December 4 thanks to double-doubles by juniors Riley Parker and Miles Webb.
• Parker registered the first double-double with assists since 2021 with 15 points and a career-high 10 helpers, while Webb registered 13 points and a career-best 12 boards. It was the first double-double for both players, and Webb added five assists.
• Sophomore Bobby Rosenberger III led the Red Flash in points with 19. Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists, and fellow freshman Victor Payne tallied a career-high 10 points and six rebounds.
• The walk-ons also made some noise. Junior KJ Swain, Jr. registered a career-high seven points, while sophomores Blaze Angellotti (one point, two rebounds) and Trey Weiand (three points) notched their first collegiate points on the night.

TRENDING UP
• Since the season-opening five-game road trip ended, the Red Flash is 3-2 in its last five games. The  Frankies are averaging 85.6 points per game and allowing 70.2 points per game in this stretch. In addition, the squad is shooting 49.4 percent from the floor (162-for-328) and is +12.0 on the boards.
• Junior Riley Parker and sophomore Bobby Rosenberger III are averaging 16.6 points per game in the last five games. Rosenberger is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, while Parker is dishing out 5.2 assists per game in this stretch. Junior Miles Webb also averages double figures in this stretch with 10.6 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game.
• Parker is coming off the third game under head coach Rob Krimmel a player who had at least 10 assists in a game, and the first since Ramiir Dixon-Conover against Bryant on January 21, 2021. Keith Braxton also had 10 helpers against FDU on February 1, 2018. Dixon-Conover also finished with a double-double thanks to 12 points and 10 assists, while Braxton registered a triple-double with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists.
• Webb also notched his first career double-double against Penn State Shenango, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. It is the eighth time under Krimmel that two players had a double-double in the same game and the first since Gestin Liberis and Eli Wilborn turned the trick against Franciscan on November 23, 2023. Braxton had turned the trick with a teammate four times: twice with Josh Nebo (vs. CCSU, January 21, 2017, and vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, February 2, 2017), once with Isaiah Blackmon (vs. Sacred Heart on December 31, 2016) and once with Mark Flagg (vs. FDU, February 1, 2018) when Braxton had his triple-double. Flagg and Josh Cohen had a double-double against Franciscan (November 15, 2021), and Earl Brown and Ronnie Drinnon were the first duo to turn the trick (vs. LIU, February 14, 2015) under Krimmel.
• Parker is the only player who has posted double figures in all five games during this stretch and has recorded at least 14 points in his last four tilts, including a pair of 20-point performances. He has also dished out the rock with at least five assists in four of his previous five contests and three games with seven helpers or more.
• Rosenberger has been just as impressive in the last four games, with at least 15 points in each of those contests and at least 19 points in three tilts. He has also picked up his assist rate with at least three helpers in each of those games, while he has strung together, grabbing at least five rebounds in his last seven games.
• Webb has started the last three games and is averaging 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds as a starter. The junior has recorded at least eight points in four of his previous five games, including a season-high of 17 points against Penn State Shenango on November 20. Webb, who has started seven games in his career,  would make his first start on the road since November 14, 2023, at Penn State if his number is called against Niagara.
• Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. has started the last five games and has posted double figures in his last three tilts. The freshman is averaging 8.8 points per game as a starter after averaging 5.4 points per game in the five games when he came off the bench. During his time as a starter, Cranford has dished out five assists or more twice. He has two 11-point games with a career-high 15 points against Radford on December 1 sandwiched between those two outputs.
• Saint Francis reached 100 points in a game for the 12th time under Krimmel. The Red Flash is 7-4 in the next game after scoring 100 points in a game but has lost its last three after hitting the total, including last year's game against Niagara. The Frankies are averaging 70.1 points per game after reaching 100 points. The squad has reached 90 points or more 27 times under the coach and is 25-2 in those games and 18-8 in the games after. The Red Flash has scored 96 points or more twice this season.

AGAINST THE EMPIRE STATE
• Saint Francis is 69-94 against teams from New York State in non-conference play but is 35-77 in contests inside the New York state line.
• This is the first trip to play a New York team in non-league since failing 61-54 at Iona on December 10, 2024.
• The Red Flash's last win in the Empire State was the team's last trip to Niagara, a 93-87 win on December 10, 2017. The squad is looking to end a four-game losing streak in the state with losses at Buffalo (2018-19), Cornell (2021-22), Saint Bonaventure (2022-23), and Iona (2023-24), the only non-conference visits to the state since 2017. 
• Head coach Rob Krimmel is 6-14 against the state of New York with a 3-10 record on the road and 3-4 at home.
• This meeting with the Purple Eagles will be the fifth game under Krimmel to mark the most played against a non-conference oppoenent from the state under the coach. Cornell has been on the slate four times in the last 13 seasons. 
• The Bonnies frequent Saint Francis' schedule the most by a team from New York, appearing on the schedule 43 times, while the Buffalo area teams are following on the list with Canisius (29 times) and Niagara (27 times) combining for 55 games against the Frankies.

ON THIS DATE
• Saint Francis is 7-3 on this date including 1-2 on the road
• The Red Flash is 1-1 against team's associated with the MAAC on this date with a 92-91 win against Fairfield at the Jaffa Mosque in 1968 and a 78-61 loss at Iona in 2008 in New Rochelle
• Saint Francis picked up its first win on the road on this date in 2021 with an 81-66 win at Hartford in the Jack Phelan Classic, honoring the former Saint Francis men's basketball player and the former Hartford head coach
• Ronell Giles, Jr. paced the Frankies with 17 points, while Josh Cohen (15 points), Maxwell Land (15 points) and Ramiir Dixon-Conover (13 points) each also found double figures
FUN FACT: Saint Francis played on this date seven times from 1963-74, but have only played three times on this date since 2002.