Cranford keyed a second-half run to help the Frankies take the lead at 53-52 but was then called for his third foul and had to the bench. Cranford had 16 points in the first half before recording a 3-pointer, a steal, and two assists to help Saint Francis start the second half by scoring 16 of the first 28 points to take the lead for the final time.
After Cranford exited with his third foul, the Colonials went on an 11-0 run and a 28-7 run to take control of the game and never looked back for its sixth-straight win.
"For 40 minutes, we allowed Robert Morris to will their style. We had too many fouls and turnovers to put us in a hole on the road against a good team. We had a stretch there in the second half where things went haywire, and we weren't able to respond. Hopefully, these guys will be able to learn from this."
"We will take some time off and spend some time with family and friends. When we return to campus, we will continue to build on the habits and learn from some of the things early on in the season that will help us as we approach conference play. We will get ready for that conference opener and, ultimately, that journey through the NEC schedule and playoffs."
FLASH MOMENTS
The first half was closely contested and back and forth. The best run for the Red Flash was an 8-4 run fueled by Cranford's six points to give Saint Francis its largest lead of the first half at 28-24. The freshman's second three in the run was a shot clock buzzer beater. Cranford started the game 4-for-4 to continue his hot streak from Franciscan on Thursday, where he was 5-for-5 from the floor and 3 of 3 from behind the arc to go 9-for-9 from the floor and 6-for-6 from 3-point land over 57 minutes and five seconds (nearly three halves).
Cranford did not score but did fuel a 6-0 run in the second half to give the Red Flash a 48-47 lead. The freshman dished out an assist on a Parker trey and then started a fast-break opportunity with a steal that led to a Pinedo layup and traditional 3-point play for the first lead of the second half.Â
Saint Francis made a late run to cut it to 11 points at 82-71 at 3:59 left, thanks to an 11-3 run. Parker hit a pair of threes, while Pinedo had two baskets in the lane and one free throw but could no closer the rest of the way.
FLASH NUGGETS
Cranford added a career-high three steals, three assists, and three rebounds to go with his second-most points in a game with 19 points. He hit a personal-best five baskets from downtown to become the first player to drain five buckets from behind the arc since
Ace Talbert against Sacred Heart on February 10, 2023. In the three games in the week, the freshman averaged 17.7 points per game and shot 80 percent (20-for-25) from the floor, 68.7 percent (11-for-16) from behind the arc and 100 percent (2-for-2) from the free throw line. The freshman has scored double figures in the last seven games and posted at least 15 points thrice in that stretch.
Parker leads the team with three 20-point games this season and third time in the last eight games. The junior posted double figures for the first time in four contests and has six 10+ point games this season. Parker has scored nine points or more eight times in his last nine games. Rosenberger regained the edge for the Frankies on a tip-in bucket before
Jeremy Clayville hit a 3-pointer to give the team its final lead at 53-52 with 14:33 left.
Pinedo registered 14 points and five rebounds for the second-straight contest after recording that total against Franciscan on Thursday. The 14 points are the second most in his career after his 15-point performance at Campbell on November 10. He has recorded double figures in consecutive games for the second time in his career and has five rebounds in a game six times.
Rosenberger notched double figures for the second straight game and a team-best 11 times this season. He did not reach 10 points only thrice in non-conference play, leading the team with 12.3 points per game.
The 77 points are the most points the Red Flash has scored on the road this season.
Saint Francis has lost all four games to Robert Morris since the Colonials left the Northeast Conference (NEC) after the 2019-20 season when the two teams met in the NEC Championship Game. The Red Flash also have lost all four games in the UPMC Events Center after winning the previous four games in Moon Township. In addition, before Robert Morris won the last six games, the Frankies had won 10 of the previous 11 games in the series.
The Red Flash finishes the non-conference slate 5-9, recording five wins in non-league play for the second-straight year and the third time under head coach
Rob Krimmel.
Saint Francis will not play again until after the Christmas/New Year's break. It is the third time under Krimmel the team will not have a game over the holidays and the eighth time since the 1971-72 season. The two times under Krimmel, the Red Flash played in the NEC Championship Game in 2019 and 2020.
