WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis made some noise against Oklahoma in the first half, and TCU lost to New Orleans in the men's basketball season openers on Monday. The Horned Frogs wanted no chance of it happening again on Thursday in a win against the Red Flash.
>> Skylar Wicks paced the Red Flash with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Cam Tweedy added a career-high 14 points.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
After Wicks tied the game at 11, the Horned Frogs closed the half on a 42-18 run to take the lead it would not relinquish. TCU earned a 104-63 win in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
FLASH MOMENTSÂ
Saint Francis used an 11-6 run to tie the game at 11. Gestin Liberis got the Red Flash on the scoreboard with a layup at 18:11. After a Horned Frog basket, Zion Russell and Brandon Russell each scored in the lane to make it a one-point game. Tweedy had a basket sandwiched in between two TCU baskets before Wicks tied the game at 11 on a trey with 13:34 left in the first half.
Ralph Martino had a couple of nice moves on the national stage, with a dunk with 5:11 left in the first half, and after some nice ball movement, scored in the lane with 2:48 on the first half clock.Â
FLASH NUGGETS
Wicks, who had 20 points in the season opener against Oklahoma, is averaging 19.0 points per game in his first two games with the Loretto program, while adding 11 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. It was the first time he posted back-to-back 10+ point games since at Neese (February 26, 2024) and Southeastern Louisiana (March 4, 2024) with Incarnate Word, when he averaged 17.5 points per game in that two-game stretch.
Tweedy set a new career standard in points, breaking the 13 points he scored in the 2023 NEC Championship Game with FDU at Merrimack on March 7, 2024. The redshirt senior also had 10 points and six rebounds in the Knights' win against Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. It was his seventh double-figure point game of his career and his first since 12 points against Le Moyne on January 10, 2025. Â He is averaging 10.0 points per game through two games.
Zion Russell, who had a career-high 15 points against the Sooners, finished his second game in a Red Flash uniform with six points, four rebounds, and two assists. He is averaging 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game this season.Â
Martino finished with six points after posting seven points on Monday. KJ Swain, Jr. added six points for the most points he has scored against an NCAA Division I program.
The game featured two of the countries head coaches that are also at the helm of their alma maters with the Luke McConnell from Saint Francis and Jamie Dixon from TCU.
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action when the team makes its 2025-26 DeGol Arena debut against Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m. The game will be a Salute to Service game, with any veteran admitted free of charge. In addition, anyone who donates a non-perishable food item, paper goods, or hygiene products will receive a five-dollar discount on their ticket. All proceeds will go to the Laurel Highland Historical Village, a non-profit group that holds food drives and other events to support veterans and the elderly in our area. If you or a loved one is a veteran and in need of help, please call the organization's office at 814-241-6123.
