scoring 10 points in a two-minute spurt in the final three minutes, Stonehill came away with a 64-60 win in Northeast Conference (NEC) men's basketball action on Sunday.Â
finished with 19 points apiece to lead the Red Flash.
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
Trailing 55-50 with 2:45 remaining, Rosenberger scored all 10 Frankies points in a 10-4 run to give Saint Francis a 60-59 lead with 45 seconds left on his first 3-pointer of the game.
The Skyhawks answered with a 3-ball of their own with 24 ticks left, and after a Red Flash turnover sealed its first win in DeGol Arena with two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.
FLASH QUOTES
"It's disappointing because we've shown glimpses, but we're very inconsistent right now. It's going to take 40 minutes of basketball to win a conference game, and the margin of error is so slim that you cannot give a team the opportunity to score 15 points in the first five minutes of the second half after they scored 20 in the first 20 minutes."
– head coach Rob Krimmel on the game
"Bobby is such a tough kid. He's a winner. I will go to battle with kids like that any day. He wants to win so badly, sometimes to a fault, because he gets very emotional. I'd rather have a kid like that than someone who doesn't care or only shows up when things are good. It was great to see him respond that way."
– Krimmel on Bobby Rosenberger III and his run at the end of the game
"I am interested in the human response. These guys will be in situations as basketball players, as people, where their back is against the wall, and they've got to perform. I want these guys to respond in the appropriate way."
– Krimmel on moving forward
FLASH MOMENTS
Saint Francis continues to play well in the first half, while the second half is its kryptonite.
The Red Flash jumped out to a 15-3 lead midway through the first half. Parker fueled the run with seven points.Â
Stonehill trimmed the margin to 21-16 with 4:17 left before Saint Francis closed the half on a 12-4 spurt to go into the locker room with a 33-20 advantage. Parker was the catalyst for the run again with five points, while
Daemar Kelly capped the run with a trey with 21 seconds left.
The Red Flash saw its first-half lead dissipate, and it wasn't until Rosenberger's hot streak that Saint Francis put on a run in the final frame. The run included two free throws (2:45), a traditional 3-point play on a layup after an offensive rebound (2:04), another basket off the glass (1:41) before hit nailed a 3-pointer at the top of the key to end the run with 45 seconds left.
FLASH NUGGETS
Rosenberger is averaging 20.5 points per game against Stonehill in the two games in Loretto after registering a career-high 22 points against the Skyhawks on February 10, 2024. It was his fourth game this year with 19 points or more and seventh of his career. Rosenberger leads the team with 12 double-figure point games this season.
Parker finished with 19 points to notch his fourth-best output in a Red Flash career after registering three 20-point games this season. The junior averaged 15.5 points per game in his first conference weekend and shot 50 percent from the field. He has eight games with at least 10 points in his last 11 games.
Pinedo has found double figures for the fourth-straight game and has at least five rebounds in that stretch. He has six 10+ point games in his career, all with Saint Francis, and nine games with at least five boards this season.
Juan Cranford, Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with five points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists. The rebound and steal totals were career highs.Â
It is the first time the road team has won the game since Stonehill joined the league in 2022-23. The Frankies faced the same opening weekend schedule as 2022-23 but went 2-0 to start that campaign.
Saint Francis starts the season 0-2 for the second straight year and the fifth time under head coach Rob Krimmel.
NEXT ON TAP
The Red Flash wraps up its three-game homestand on Friday to start league play with the first NEC game against Mercyhurst. The new NEC Keystone Clash matchup will be the first time these two teams have met in NEC play since the Lakers joined the NEC in 2024-25, but not the first time in program history. The Frankies played Mercyhurst four times in the 1980s. Game time is 7 p.m.
