WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> The eight-seeded Saint Francis Red Flash made a valiant effort on Wednesday to become the first eight-seed to defeat a top seed in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Men's Basketball Quarterfinals. Despite holding an eight-point lead midway through the second half, top-seed CCSU rallied for a 71-62 win.
>> Eli Wilborn (Middletown, Conn.) matched his career-high 19 points to pace the Red Flash, including hitting his first collegiate 3-pointer in the first half.
>> Gestin Liberis (Havertown, Pa.) posted 10 points and seven rebounds, and Aidan Harris (Annapolis, Md.) tied a career-high with 10 points.
 
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Saint Francis grabbed an eight-point lead twice in the second half, both on Aaron "Ace" Talbert (Wyandanch, N.Y.Y) baskets. The Blue Devils closed the game on a 22-5 run to secure the win, including an 11-1 spurt in the final three minutes and 55 seconds. Carlos Lopez, Jr. (Egg Harbor, N.J.) had a trey rim out with 2:57 left that would have tied the game at 64.

FLASH QUOTES
"In the last four minutes, CCSU made more plays than we did to win the game, but I'm pleased with the effort. I thought we did a lot of good things, and these guys got to experience playoff March Madness basketball." – head coach Rob Krimmel on the game

"Sometimes the toughest and sometimes the best lessons are associated with a little bit of pain. We don't let that pain linger, but we let that pain fuel you to be better the next time." – Krimmel on moving forward after the loss into the offseason

"I feel great about our team performance. Sometimes, everybody can play well, but the game does not go your way. There were a lot of emotions going on in the locker room, and we were telling people it wasn't their fault; CCSU just had a better last couple of minutes of the game. We all did what we could for the whole year and to get to this game" – Eli Wilborn on the game

"It's a tough one to take because a loss in the playoffs sends us home. I thought we fought till the end. Unfortunately, we didn't get the win, but I'm proud of my team for how hard we fought." – Aidan Harris on the game

FLASH MOMENTS
With CCSU holding a 42-37 lead with 15:54 left, the Frankies went on a 17-4 run to grab their largest lead, 54-46, with 9:37 on the clock. Harris had five unanswered points to start the run to tie the game at 42. Wilborn and Talbert each had four points, and Braylen Blue (Sun Prairie, Wisc.) knocked down a trey in the spurt.

After the Blue Devils answered to tie the game, Wilborn gave the Red Flash a 59-57 edge on a layup with 5:34 left and the lead for the final time on another basket in the paint at 61-60 with 3:55 on the clock.

Wilborn gave Saint Francis its first lead by knocking down his first career triple from the corner with 16:43 left in the first half for a 7-6 margin.

The Blue Devils opened up an 11-point lead with 10:09 left in the first half, but the Red Flash closed the first half and scored the first basket in the second half to tie the game at 34 thanks to a 22-11 run. Lopez recorded all of his nine points in this span, while Liberis had six points.

FLASH NUGGETS
Wilborn, an NEC All-Rookie selection, notched 19 points for the third time this season and the first time on the road, although he did grow up 15 minutes from the CCSU campus. He also had 19 points against LIU on January 19 and against Merrimack on January 27. It was the sixth time in his last 13 games the freshman posted at least 15 points in a game, and the 21st time he grabbed at least five rebounds after finishing with six boards on Wednesday.

Liberis notched his third double-figure point game in his last four games and the sixth of the season. Since returning from an injury, the sophomore has finished the last seven games of the season, averaging 8.1 points and 5.3 points per game.

Harris posted double figures for the second time in his career and the first against a Division I opponent. Harris also had 10 points against Pitt Greensburg on November 20. He also hauled in at least five boards for the 11th time this season.

Lopez, an NEC All-Rookie team selection, finished with nine points, and Talbert had eight points.

The Frankies were making their third-straight NEC Tournament appearance, 10th under head coach Rob Krimmel and 29th in program history.

Saint Francis, the second-youngest team in NCAA Division I, finished the last 11 games of the season with an all-freshman lineup. The Red Flash started the season 121 days ago and look to continue growing in the offseason and into 2024-25.