Wagner College (11-11, 5-5 NEC) at Saint Francis University (8-16, 3-8 NEC)
Date | Time	Wednesday, February 17, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Location	Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Arena
Television	NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh, play-by-play; Bernie Jubeck, color analyst)
Live Stats	Sidearm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis | Wagner
Stats	Saint Francis | Wagner | Northeast Conference
Social Media	@RedFlashMBB  | #BELIEVE | @RedFlashMBB | Facebook

 

Saint Francis Probable Starters
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	2	Aaron "Ace" Talbert	6-0	185	Fr.	8.3	2.0	40.1	Career-high 21 points in last game
G	4	Carlos Lopez, Jr.	6-2	170	Fr.	9.0	1.5	36.5	Averaging 13.2 ppg since returning to starting lineup
G	14	Bobby Rosenberger III	6-5	205	Fr.	8.8	4.3	38.6	Career-high 22 points and nine rebounds in last game
F	5	Eli Wilborn	6-8	215	Fr.	10.0	7.3	53.6	Has posted at least 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks three times
F	32	Aidan Harris	6-7	205	Fr.	3.9	4.8	40.5	Registered five rebounds in last six games
Off the Bench
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	0	Cam Gregory	6-5	165	So.	13.4	2.9	43.6	Averaging 21.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in last two games played
G	1	Braylen Blue	6-5	180	Fr.	1.9	0.2	50.0	Appeared in three league games
F	3	Miles Webb	6-8	190	So.	3.6	2.5	39.8	Had a career-high 19 points against Sacred Heart on Jan. 25
G	11	Chris Moncrief	6-6	190	So.	2.8	1.4	44.2	Six points and three assists vs. Merrimack on Jan. 27
G	13	Blaze Angellotti	6-4	195	Fr.	0.0	0.0	0.0	Made collegiate debut vs. Franciscan on Nov. 22
G	15	Aaron Humphrey, Jr.	6-7	210	Fr.	1.7	1.0	33.3	Career-high five points, four rebounds vs. Franciscan
G	20	Brendan Scanlon	5-8	175	So.	--	--	--	Out for the year with a leg injury
F	21	Gestin Liberis	6-9	225	So.	4.8	3.1	45.7	Nine points against Wagner on Jan. 6
F	22	Ryen Gresko	5-11	170	Fr.	0.0	1.0	0.0	Had a rebound in collegiate debut vs. Franciscan
G	23	Wisler Sanon II	6-4	190	So.	3.7	2.0	35.1	Averaging 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in last road trip
G	24	Keshawn McNeill	6-1	180	R-Fr.	0.8	0.5	33.3	Notched first career points (3) vs. Franciscan
G	30	KJ Swain, Jr.	6-0	155	Jr.	2.1	0.2	66.7	Scored in both games he has played
G	33	Will Helton	6-4	175	Jr.	--	--	--	Redshirting this season and will not play
F	42	Daric Danchanko	6-8	240	So.	--	--	--	Redshirting this season and will not play

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

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Thursday's game between Saint Francis and Wagner marks the 83rd meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1956-57 season.
• The Seahawks have won five of the last six meetings to take a 43-39 edge in the matchup.
• Wagner defeated Saint Francis 71-56 in Staten Island on January 6, while the last Red Flash win was a 68-63 decision in New York last season.
• Despite the Seahawks winning the last two games in Loretto, the Frankies hold a 24-14 margin at home. Wagner has won five of the previous six at DeGol Arena.
• Saint Francis will honor the legacy of Norm Van Lier and the Golden Era before the game with a pregame ceremony starting at 6:52 p.m.
• Van Lier was a three-year standout for the Frankies from 1966-69. He finished his career in Loretto with 1,410 points and averaged 18.8 points per game. Van Lier left as the third-leading scorer in program history behind only Maurice Stokes (2,282 points, 1951-55) and Sandy Williams (1,546 points, 1961-64). He currently sits in 13th place in program history. During the 1967-68 season, Van Lier dished out a program-record 290 assists.
• Saint Francis went 55-20 in Van Lier's three seasons in Loretto. Legendary Frankies' head coach Dr. Skip Hughes retired before Van Lier's first season, but Van Lier helped the squad to a 20-6 record in 1966-67, a 19-6 record in 1967-68, and a 16-8 mark in 1968-69 during the three seasons John Clark was the head coach.
• Van Lier became the fifth Saint Francis player drafted in program history in 1969 when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the fifth pick in the third round. Teammate Larry Lewis was also taken in that draft with the 13th pick in the ninth round, while Lew Alcindor Jr., who would change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971, was the No. 1 overall pick in that draft.
• Also being honored that night will be Golden Era members Stokes, Kevin Porter, Clarence Hopson, Joe Hazinsky, Ed Dugan, Frank Puschauver, Jim McClellan, Joe Aston, Tree Trosch, Jack O'Malley, Ed Winters, Calvin Fowler, Gene DeBernardis, Sandy Williams, Lenny Murray, Larry Lewis, and Hughes.
• With nine teams in the NEC this season, each team has two byes throughout the nine-week conference schedule. Saint Francis defeated Stonehill after its bye on Saturday, while Wagner is coming off its second bye of the year.
• The Red Flash helped teams that have the first game off of a weekend improve to 6-0, while teams that have the second game off in a weekend are just 1-4 in their next game and have a four-game losing streak.
• CCSU is the only team to win after having the second bye in a weekend. The Blue Devils had off on January 6 and defeated Saint Francis in Loretto on January 13.
• Wagner won the first time after it had a bye, but that date off was the first date when it had off January 13, and then defeated Stonehill two days later
• For the first time this season, the Frankies had two players with 20 points in a game. Also, they marked the first time under head coach Rob Krimmel that two freshmen turned the trick after Bobby Rosenberger III had a career-high 22 points and Aaron "Ace" Talbert registered a career-best 21 points.
• The last time the Red Flash had two players reach 20 points in the same game was against CCSU in the NEC Quarterfinals on March 1, 2023, which was the 32nd time it has occurred under Krimmel.
• Rosenberger and Talbert became the 13th combo to have 20 points in the same game, but can you name the tandem with the most 20-point games together?
• If you thought Keith Braxton and Isaiah Blackmon, you would be half right because the correct answer is Braxton and Jamal King. Braxton-King had 20-point games together nine times, while Blackmon-Braxton turned the trick seven times.
• Rosenberger and Talbert are looking to become the first two since Blackmon and Braxton to score 20 points in back-to-back games. The B&B boys did it twice in February 2020, including February 25 and 29. Braxton and King did it back-to-back twice, once in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons each.
• After the game against Wagner, Saint Francis will hit the road for its final three-game road trip in the regular season, starting at FDU on Saturday. The team will also travel to Merrimack and Stonehill.

AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Mark the second time this season the Red Flash has recorded back-to-back wins and the first since defeating Lehigh (November 29) and American (December 2) on the road
• Split the season series with Wagner for the second-straight season, but the teams would have won on their home floor in 2023-24
• Be the fourth home win in the last five games
• Improve the home record to 7-6 and guarantee the eighth non-losing overall home record and seventh NEC home non-losing record under head coach Rob Krimmel 

LAST TIME OUT
• Saint Francis roared back with a 22-13 run to end the game, but CCSU made a free throw with 2:22 left to take the lead for good and set up a wild final several minutes of the game. The Blue Devils defeated the Red Flash, 63-62.
• Freshman Carlos Lopez, Jr. paced the team by matching his career high of 22 points. Sophomore Wisler Sanon II added a career-high 13 points and seven rebounds. Sanon had 10 of his 13 points in the final seven minutes of the game.
• Freshman Eli Wilborn grew up in nearby Middletown, Conn., and he finished with nine points.

ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS
• Freshmen Bobby Rosenberger III and Aaron "Ace" Talbert combined for 12 of the 15 points in a 15-2 run to help put the game away in a 72-63 win against Stonehill on Saturday.
• Rosenberger finished with a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds, while Talbert tallied a career-high 21 points along with five assists and four rebounds.
•  It's a rare feat for two freshmen on the same team score 20 points in a game. Going back, it hadn't been done in an NEC game since the Mount's Vado Morse (23) and Malik Jefferson (20) turned the trick against St. Francis Brooklyn on March 2, 2019.
• Freshman Eli Wilborn registered five points, seven rebounds, a career-high six assists, and two blocks.
• The win gave head coach Rob Krimmel his 100th career NEC regular season win to become the 12th head coach in NEC history to reach the feat.

HOME, SWEET, HOME, LORETTO
• Saint Francis is 6-6 at home, and the team is averaging 72.3 points per game at DeGol Arena. Conversely, the Red Flash is 2-10 on the road, and the squad averaging 59.0 points per game in Loretto.
• Saint Francis has registered a 20-point scorer in five of its last seven home games, six of its last 12 home games this season, 13 of its previous 20 games dating back to last year, 17 of its last 28 (home games in the previous two seasons and 24 of its last 40 (home games in the last three years). If you eliminate the five non-Division I games played in this span; the squad had registered 20-point performers in 24 of the 35 Division I games played in the last three years. The Frankies are even better in league games, going 4-for-6 this season, 7 of 8 last season, and 6 of 9 in 2021-22 for a total of 16 of 23 games in NEC play with a 20-point performer.
• The Red Flash returned with a pair of 20-point scorers against Stonehill on February 10 after just missing the mark in the previous two home games. Freshmen Bobby Rosenberger III (22 points) and Aaron "Ace" Talbert (21 points) both recorded career highs against the Skyhawks
• Sophomore Cam Gregory has three 20+ point games at home, while Rosenberger and fellow freshman Carlos Lopez, Jr. have a pair. Talbert got on the scoreboard with his first against Stonehill. 

TRENDING UP
• Singer George Thorogood is probably best known for the song "Bad To The Bone," but in 1993, he came out with the song "Get A Haircut." The lyrics follow: "Get a haircut and get a real job; Clean your act up and don't be a slob; Get it together like your big brother Bob; Why don't you get a haircut and get a real job." Freshman Bobby Rosenberger III got a haircut before the game against Stonehill and registered a career-high 22 points. Fellow freshman Aaron "Ace" Talbert got a haircut in early January and went 10 games without a 10-point game before his career-high 21-points performance against Stonehill, so you could say that Talbert got it together like his big brother Bob.
• Rosenberger has two 20-point games in his last four home games and has helped the Red Flash to a 3-1 mark at home in that stretch, averaging 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Overall, he has posted four 10+ point games since his first career 20-point game against LIU on January 19. In the three games he has scored 19 points or more, Rosenberger also had one eight-rebound game and a pair of nine-board performances.
• Talbert's last game in double figures was a 14-point game at Sacred Heart on January 4, when he had seven out of nine games in double figures in points, including four straight. It was also the fifth time Talbert has dished out five assists, and the Red Flash is 4-1 in games when he has at least five helpers. The one loss was Robert Morris on December 20.
• Staying with assists, freshman Eli Wilborn notched a career-high six assists against Stonehill, along with seven rebounds and two blocks.  It was the sixth time he has handed out at least three assists this season and marked the third time he has had at least seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in a game.
• Freshman Aidan Harris continues to rack up the rebounds with his sixth-straight game with at least five boards. The freshman picked up his scoring with six, seven, eight, and nine-point games in that stretch. He is averaging 6.3 points and 6.8 points per game in that span.