keyed a decisive 18-5 run with eight of his career-high 18 points to power Saint Francis past Mercyhurst 73-59 in Northeast Conference (NEC) men's basketball action on Friday.
chipped in 10 points in the winning effort.
>> The quartet was also stat stuffers, with Pinedo, Parker, and Rosenberger grabbing six rebounds each, while Parker dished out six assists and Clayville five helpers.
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
After Mercyhurst tied the game at 47, Clayville drained a 3-pointer with 10:42 left. Pinedo then had four points with a Clayville layup sandwiched in between for a 56-49 edge with 9:15 left.
Aidan Harris, who played some crucial minutes, scored in the lane at 8:27. After a Mercyhurst basket, Pinedo added two more baskets with a Parker triple sprinkled in for a 65-52 advantage with 5:25 left. Rosenberger would extend the Frankies' largest lead to 71-54 in the closing minutes to help Saint Francis register its first NEC win.
FLASH QUOTES
"I thought we grew up and took a step in the right direction defensively. It's one of the best games that we played this year, and these guys are starting to understand what it's going to take night in and night out on that side of the floor to be able to put yourself in a position to win basketball games." – head coach
Rob Krimmel on the game
"I thought Aidan's energy, especially in the first half, and then the way he played in the second half, really was a big spark. I thought he did an excellent job of raising the level." – Krimmel on the play of
Aidan Harris
"KJ Swain, a walk-on, works hard at his game and is a tremendous teammate. The minute and 33 seconds that he played in the second half allowed us to rest
Daemar Kelly, who did a tremendous job on their leading scorer. Daemar did an excellent job of making sure that he did not get too many clean looks." – Krimmel of the play of
KJ Swain, Jr. and
Daemar Kelly
"One of the main things coach told me before he put me in the game was I need you to rebound. I took that to heart, and I wanted to come out there and just play hard. I feel like one of my main things is to bring the energy and rebound. I feel that my teammates and coaches push me every single day to play hard and just have that positive mindset to do whatever I need to do to help this team win." –
Aidan Harris on the game and his play this season
"I want to wish Steve Rogers a happy birthday. He is a proud alum, and I hope he's enjoying his day. Birthday present for him with the way these guys played, and I think he would have been proud with the grit and the determination that we showed for 40 minutes." – Krimmel with a special birthday message
FLASH MOMENTS
After the Lakers jumped out to a 5-0 lead, Saint Francis responded with a 9-2 run to take its first lead of the night with 15:58 left in the first half. Pinedo scored four points, Clayville scored off the glass, and Kelly drained a 3-ball. It was Kelly's only basket of the game, but he was a vital cog holding Mercyhurst's best player to single digits.Â
Clayville started a 13-2 run with the basket, giving the Frankies a 9-7 lead with 10 points in four minutes and 21 seconds.Â
The Lakers came back to tie the game at 28 before
Juan Cranford, Jr. drained a basket from downtown with 2:01 left, and Harris made 1 of 2 at the line for a 32-28 lead going into the locker room.
FLASH NUGGETS
Pinedo, who has scored double figures in his last five games, registered his most points since 15 points at Campbell on November 10. He finished the game game 8-for-11 from the floor and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. During this five-game streak, the junior is averaging 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Pinedo has registered double figures in points in all four games he has played in Loretto.Â
Clayville's 17 points are the second most points he has scored this season and the most against an NCAA Division I opponent. After being held scoreless for only the second time in his career against Stonehill on January 5, the freshman answered with his seventh 10+ point game. It is the third time he has dished out at least five assists this season. The freshman had a career-high 21 points against Penn State Schuylkill on November 20 in his DeGol Arena debut.
Parker has double figures in four straight games, averaging 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.0 rebounds per game in that stretch. He has two games with at least 19 points in his last four tilts. It is the fifth time this season the junior has hauled in at least six boards, the fifth time he has dished out at least five assists, and the second time Parker has had 10+ points, six rebounds, and five assists in a game after registering 14 points, seven rebounds, and five helpers against Radford on December 1.
Rosenberger reached double figures for the second consecutive game and the 13th time this season. It is also the seventh time he has grabbed six caroms in a game this season. The junior also registered three assists and a block on the night.
Cranford finished the game with nine points, five rebounds, and three steals. It was the third time in the last four games he has recorded a career-high three thefts and the fourth time in the previous eight games he had pulled in five boards.Â
After having 11 turnovers and six assists in the first 20 minutes, the Red Flash registered just two turnovers and 11 assists in the final frame.Â
Krimmel is now two wins away from reaching 100 wins at DeGol Arena with this victory. Â
It was the first time the two teams had met since 1985. The Lakers joined the NEC in 2024-25.
The Saint Francis Pep Band returned after its holiday break. The Frankies are 4-1 when the band is ready to go to war with the Red Flash. Â
Wednesday was the 70th Anniversary of the Saint Francis upset of No. 2 Duquesne 82-72 at the War Memorial for the first win against a ranked opponent in program history. The next game on the Frankies' schedule was its first-ever trip to FDU on January 12, 1955. Seventy years later, the two teams will meet again on the same date.Â
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action at FDU on Sunday. Game time is 1 p.m.
