WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> A remarkable comeback attempt by Saint Francis was thwarted when Wagner scored the decisive basket with 1.9 seconds left in the second overtime to down the Red Flash 70-68 in Northeast Conference (NEC) men's basketball action on Monday.
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Chris Moncrief tied the game at 68 with 10 seconds left in the second extra session and finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists for his best performance in an NEC game.
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Riley Parker led the Red Flash with 19 points, while
Valentino Pinedo tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds.
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
Saint Francis used a 14-5 run to end regulation to send the game to overtime. The Red Flash, who did not have the lead in regular time, grabbed the advantage three times in the two overtime periods.
In the second overtime, Moncrief gave the Red Flash the edge for the final time with a driving layup 51 seconds into the frame. Saint Francis then missed its subsequent seven field goal attempts, but Pinedo made two free throws with 58 seconds left to cut the Wagner lead to 67-66. After the Seahawks made 1 of 2 at the charity stripe, Moncrief tied the game at 68 only to see Wagner kiss the ball off the glass with 1.9 seconds left for the decisive points. The Red Flash could not get a shot off before time expired.
FLASH MOMENTS
The Red Flash used a 14-5 run over the last five minutes and 25 seconds to send the game to overtime. Parker posted eight of those points, including draining three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with 18 seconds left, and the game went to overtime.
Parker gave the Frankies a one-point lead twice in the first extra session on a jumper with 2:22 left and a triple with 42 seconds left, but the Seahawks made the front end of two free throws with 26 seconds left to even the game at 62. Moncrief had a 3-point attempt in the waning seconds of the first overtime, but the shot did not fall.
At the start of the contest, Saint Francis scored seven of 10 points to trim the margin to 8-7 with 12:37 left in the first half. Moncrief capped the run with a traditional 3-point play after
Jeremy Clayville and
Bobby Rosenberger III posted baskets.
Pinedo scored four unanswered points to trim the margin to 29-25 with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. The junior made two free throws and then had a nice layup in the spurt.
A 9-0 run in the second half cut the margin for the Frankies to four points again with 10:39 left.
Juan Cranford, Jr., who finished the game with nine points, drained back-to-back triples before
Daemar Kelly converted a traditional 3-point play to cap the run. Kelly ended the game with eight points.Â
FLASH NUGGETS
Parker registered 19 points for the second time in league play and has six games with 18 points or more this season. The junior leads the team with 14.8 points per game in league games and is shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from behind the arc in league contests. Parker shot 6-for-11 from the floor, 2 of 4 from behind the arc, and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.Â
Moncrief reached double figures in points for the second time in his career. He registered 17 points against Penn State Schuylkill on November 20. The 13 points are the most the junior has registered against a Division I team in his career. He finished 5-for-11 from the floor and 3 of 3 from the free throw line.
Pinedo finished with his first career double-double in NEC play and registered the third of his career. The 11 boards are the second most in his career. The junior has reached double figures six times in the last eight games and has at least six caroms in his six contests. He ranks second to Parker on the team with 10.8 points and leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game.Â
Cranford has registered nine points 11 times in his last 13 tilts, and he hauled in six boards to notch at least five boards six times in that same span. The freshman has made three triples in a game five times in his last 10 contests.Â
The last time the Frankies played an overtime game was also against Wagner on February 16, 2023, in Loretto. The last time the Red Flash played double overtime was at Central Connecticut State on February 28, 2013.
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action on Friday at home against LIU. Game time is 7 p.m. The authors of Stokes: The Brief Career of the NBA's First Black Superstar will be at the game, and the first 50 children 12 and under will receive a free copy of the book.Â