Robert Morris University (9-4) at Saint Francis University (2-10)
Date | Time	Saturday, December 20, 2025 | 1 p.m.
Location	Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Arena
Television	NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh (pxp); Bernie Jubeck (analyst))
Live Stats	Sidearm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis | Robert Morris
Stats	Saint Francis | Robert Morris | NEC
Social Media	@RedFlashMBB  | #BELIEVE | @RedFlashMBB | Facebook

 

Saint Francis Probable Starters
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	2	Zion Russell	6-2	185	R-Sr.	11.2	4.5	36.3	Looking to score 10+ points in three straight games for the Flash
G/F	4	Ralph Martino, Jr.	6-6	180	So.	5.8	2.2	56.9	Had seven points in his second start of the season on Wednesday
G	F	Skylar Wicks	6-6	190	R-Sr.	19.1	7.3.5	42.2	Scored 22 points in each of his last two games
G	15	Victor Payne	6-4	190	So.	5.4	3.7	36.2	Registered a career-high nine rebounds in last home game
F	21	Gestin Liberis	6-9	225	R-Jr.	5.1	4.6	48.9	Had his streak of six straight 5+ rebound games snapped
Top Players Off the Bench
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	1	KJ Swain, Jr.	6-1	165	R-Sr.	2.1	0.8	28.6	Career-high seven assists in last home game
G	0	Chris Moncrief	6-6	190	Sr.	3.5	1.0	33.3	Did not play at Florida
G	3	Brandon Russell	6-5	185	Fr.	3.2	1.6	26.1	Career-high 7 pts, 8 rebs, 6 asts in last home game
G	7	Paris Papadatos	6-4	185	Fr.	9,0	1.4	47.2	NEC Rookie of the Week
F	20	Cam Tweedy	6-6	240	R-Sr.	5.0	3.3	54.2	Eight points at Florida
G	55	Ahmad Harrison	6-1	190	Sr.	6.4	1.6	39.1	Had three steals against the Gators

SELECT GAME NOTES VS. ROBERT MORRIS (FULL GAME NOTES PDF) 

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• "Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas." - Clark W Griswold, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
• Saint Francis and Robert Morris are not walking out before Christmas without playing each other in the last game before the holidays for the fifth-straight year and the only five meetings since the Colonials left the NEC for the Horizon League.
• The Frankies are looking to end a six-game losing streak to Robert Morris. Before the Colonials' six-game streak, Saint Francis had won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series, including nine in a row from 2016-20.
• This will be the 94th meeting in the all-time series between the two teams dating back to the 1977-78 season, but just the 10th non-conference regular-season meeting between the two teams.
• In non-conference regular season games, the Colonials took a 5-4 edge with their win last season in Moon Township. The Red Flash won four of the first five meetings in the matchup before both teams joined the ECAC Metro (now known as the NEC).
• The Colonials hold a 55-38 advantage in the all-time series, including a 25-21 edge in Loretto.
• First-year head coach Luke McConnell, longtime Red Flash fans, and Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole might be the only ones who remember those bitter rivalry NEC days of the Keystone Clash. McConnell gets his first taste as a head coach against the Colonials after the Red Flash was 10-10 against the Colonials when he was on Rob Krimmel's staff.
• From 2015-19, it was a family rivalry for McConnell with his cousin Matty playing for Robert Morris. It was a great time for McConnell and the Frankies, who won all eight games against Matty and the Colonials.
• Saint Francis is 4-12 against teams after they left the NEC and 3-5 at DeGol Arena. The Red Flash is 2-2 against Towson, 1-1 against Loyola, 1-2 against UMBC, 0-4 against Robert Morris, and 0-3 against Mount St. Mary's. The Red Flash has not faced Bryant, Marist, Monmouth, Quinnipiac, Rider, or Siena since they left the league.
• The Frankies are looking to end an eight-game losing streak against their former NEC foes and their first win since defeating UMBC 63-60 in Catonsville, Md., on December 7, 2019. The squad started out 3-0 against former NEC friends in the 'Lo, but has lost the last five games at DeGol Arena and is looking for its first win at home against former foes since a 70-65 win against Loyola on December 11, 1989.
• Saint Francis is 5-10 all-time against the Horizon League and 3-5 at home. The Red Flash won against Xavier in the Horizon League in 1993-94, and the team is 4-6 against Youngstown State. Saint Francis is looking for its first win against the conference since defeating Youngstown State 66-65 on November 29, 2009, on the road.
• For the second consecutive season, the Red Flash will not have a game between Christmas and New Year's and will next be back in action on Friday, January 2, to open NEC play at home against Le Moyne. It is the second-straight season the team will have 13 days to prepare for the league opener.

AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Be the teams third win at DeGol Arena
• Be the team's first win against Robert Morris since an 86-78 win on February 18, 2020 at DeGol Arena
• End a three-game losing streak
• Give Luke McConnell his first win as a head coach against a Division I opponent after two wins against Division III teams
• Stop a five-game home losing streak on this date
• End the non-conference schedule and go into the holidays on a high note

ABOUT THE COLONIALS
• Robert Morris comes into the contest 9-4 overall after defeating Youngstown State 80-77 in overtime on Wednesday. 
• The Colonials are 3-1 against quadrant three teams with wins against Drake (81-79) and Green Bay (80-78), along with their win against Youngstown State. The one loss in this area was a 71-70 defeat to former NEC foe Monmouth, now in the CAA. Robert Morris is also 4-1 against quadrant four teams.
• Ryan Prather, Jr., fueled the Colonials with 19 points. DeSean Goode (16 points, 12 rebounds), Nikolaos Chitkoudis (10 points, 12 rebounds), and Josh Hill (10 points) also recorded double-figure statistics against the Penguins.
• Goode leads the team with 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Prather (12.8 ppg.) and Chitkoudis (11.8 ppg.) are also averaging double figures for head coach Andy Toole. 

LAST TIME WE MET
• Robert Morris defeated Saint Francis 90-77 on December 21, 2024. The Red Flash was up 53-52 before the Colonials closed the game on a 38-24 run to earn the win.
• Riley Parker paced the Red Flash with 21 points, while Juan Cranford, Jr. (19 points), Valentino Pinedo (14 points), and Bobby Rosenberger III (11 points) also found double figures. 
• Alvaro Folgueiras powered the Colonials with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Kam Woods (19 points), Amarion Dickerson (16 points), and Josh Omojafo (12 points) also found double digits. 

LAST TIME OUT
• Saint Francis lost to No. 23 Florida 102-61 on Wednesday in the final non-conference road game for the Red Flash this season.
• Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks powered the Red Flash in scoring with 22 points, while redshirt senior Zion Russell added 12 points and a team-best five rebounds against the Gators.
• It was the first game against a ranked opponent since facing No. 25 Miami on December 17, 2023.

TRENDING UP
• Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks registered consecutive 20-point performances for the first time in his Red Flash career after posting 22 points against Temple on December 14 and Florida on December 17. Tallying consecutive 20-point performances is not a new venturte for Wicks after he notched four-straight 20-point games for Incarnate Word from November 14-25, 2023. He averaged 23.5 points per game in that stretch, including a career-high 29 points against Schriener to start the run on November 13, 2023, and 24 points at UTSA on November 25, 2023. Those are his two highest point totals for his career, and he has a 24-point performance in a Red Flash uniform against Lehigh on November 18. Back to that 2023 season with Incarnate Word, when the 20-point consecutive streak ended, it also ended a six-game streak of consecutive 10+ point games. He had two of those streaks at Incarnate Word, which was a career best until his current 10-game streak with Saint Francis. 
• Redshirt senior Zion Russell has found double figures in consecutive games for the third time this season after posting 14 points at Temple and 10 points at Florida. The redshirt junior scored 10+ points in three-straight games twice last year at Niagara, which is the longest streak in his career. Russell has also registered 10+ points, five+ rebounds, and two assists in a game four times, a trick he turned three times in his career before arriving in Loretto (twice at Northern Illinois, once with the Purple Eagles. After a career-high seven assists in Philadelphia on Sunday, Russell has dished out 10 assists in his last two games, marking the third time this season the redshirt senior has dished out eight or more dimes in a two-game span.
• Freshman Paris Papadatos has posted nine points or more in three of his last four games after scoring nine points against the Gators. He started the stretch with a career-high 19 points against Penn State Shenango on December 3 and 15 points at Radford on December 7 to earn NEC Rookie of the Week honors. Papadatos is averaging 10.8 points per game in his last four games. 
• Redshirt senior Cam Tweedy registered eight points against Florida. Playing in prime time against a ranked opponent doesn't faze Tweedy since he had 10 points and six rebounds in FDU's win against top-seeded Purdue on March 17, 2023, in the NCAA Tournament. The performance in Gainesville was his second-best performance in a Red Flash uniform against a Division I team after he had 14 points against TCU on November 8. 
• Redshirt junior Gestin Liberis had his streak of grabbing at least five rebounds halted at six games against Florida. Liberis was averaging 7.0 rebounds per game in those six games and was also scoring at an 8.3 points per game clip. He had two 10+ point and 10+ rebound tilts in that span.
• In the first eight games of the season, the Red Flash committed at least 14 turnovers a game seven times. The only time it did not have 14 turnovers in that stretch was 11 miscues against Mount St. Mary's on November 11. Saint Francis was averaging 16.5 turnovers per game in the first eight games. In the last four contests, the Frankies have had 14 turnovers or fewer since the calendar turned to December and are averaging 11.0 turnovers per game in the month.

LEAGUE LEADERS
• Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks ranks second in the NEC in scoring (19.1 ppg.), second in free throw percentage (84.4), second in minutes (33.8 mpg.), fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.4), sixth in rebounding (7.3 rpg.), eighth in steals (1.5 spg.), and ninth in field goal percentage (42.2).
• Before the game at Florida, Wicks ranks 26th in defensive rebounds per game (6.44), 59th in scoring, 64th in minutes per game, and 91st in rebounds per game in NCAA Division I.
• Redshirt senior Zion Russell ranks sixth in assists (3.1 apg.), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2), and 17th in scoring (11.2 ppg.)
• Senior Ahmad Harrison ranks seventh in the NEC in steals (1.6 spg.), while redshirt junior Gestin Liberis ranks 10th in the NEC in blocks (0.9 bpg.)
• Saint Francis ranks third in the NEC in free throw percentage (71.0), fourth in steals (7.83 spg.), and fifth in offensive rebounds (11.1 pg.)

IN THE KEYSTONE
• Saturday's game against Robert Morris marks the fourth of six games and the final non-conference game against fellow teams from the Keystone State this season.
• Saint Francis played at Lehigh on November 18 (L, 62-79), at Temple on December 14 (L, 67-97) and will also head to Mercyhurst (February 5), while the Red Flash will welcome Penn State Shenango (W, 100-41, December 3), Robert Morris (December 20), and Mercyhurst (February 14) to Loretto.
• The Red Flash is 234-217-1 all-time against teams from the Keystone State and 50-99 since joining the NEC. The Loretto program is 37-39 at home against the Commonwealth since joining the NEC. 
• The Frankies have won their last five home non-conference games against the Keystone, including an 88-78 win against Lehigh on November 26, 2024, in their last Division I game against the state at DeGol Arena. The last non-conference home loss to a state opponent was a heartbreaking 75-73 defeat to Robert Morris on December 20, 2023.
• Saint Francis has played the most games against teams from the western part of the state in program history. The Red Flash has tangled with Robert Morris more than any other team in the state, with 93 meetings. Duquesne has been on the squad 75 times, Saint Vincent 65 times, Westminster 43 times, Geneva 39 times, and Pittsburgh 30 times.

IN THE LO 
• Saint Francis is 2-1 at DeGol Arena this season with wins against Franciscan (W, 85-60, November 29) and Penn State Shenango (W, 100-41, December 3), and a loss to Mount St. Mary's (L, 66-74, November 11).
• Robert Morris will be the seventh-most difficult opponent on the schedule for the Red Flash with a NET of 164, which is 35 spots higher than Temple from the American Conference. With the exception of LIU (NET 186) and CCSU (NET 189), this will be the last time Saint Francis will play a team under NET 200 this year. 
• Saint Francis is averaging 83.7 points per game and allowing 58.3 points per game at home this season.
• Redshirt senior Zion Russell is averaging 14.0 points per game with a career-high 22 points against Mount St. Mary's among his two 10+ point games at DeGol Arena.
• Sophomore Victor Payne is averaging 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in three home games, including 15 points and eight rebounds against Franciscan and a career-high nine rebounds against Penn State Shenango.
• Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks had 15 points and 13 rebounds in his DeGol Arena debut against the Mount, but did not play against the two NCAA Division III teams. Similarly, freshman Paris Papadatos missed the first two games due to injury at DeGol Arena, but registered a career-high 19 points against Penn State Shenango.
• Redshirt junior Gestin Liberis (16 points, 10 rebounds, Franciscan), junior Trey Weiand (17 points, Penn State Shenango), and sophomore Ralph Martino, Jr. (12 points, Penn State Shenango) all registered career highs against a Division III team while playing all three games in the 'Lo.

ON THIS DATE
• Saint Francis is 7-14 on this date and 4-6 at home. The Red Flash is looking to end a five-game losing streak at home on this date, with the last home win coming on this date, a 93-74 win against FDU in 1980.
• One of the biggest wins in program history (No. 7 in the Altoona Mirror 2020 poll) came on this date after the Red Flash defeated Rutgers 73-68 in 2014. Twice, Ollie Jackson hit a 3-pointer in the final three minutes and 27 seconds to put Saint Francis ahead, but his trey with 19 seconds left was the shot that gave the Red Flash the lead for good. Earl Brown paced the Red Flash with 23 points, while Malik Harmon (17 points), Jackson (15 points), Greg Brown (10 points), and Ronnie Drinnon (16 rebounds) also recorded double-digit statistics.
NO SO FUN FACTS...
• Saint Francis lost 71-58 to ninth-ranked Duquesne on this date in 1954, despite Maurice Stokes scoring 22 points. Usually, we focus on positive Red Flash basketball in this section, so just remember that 19 days later, Stokes and the Frankies would get their revenge with an 82-72 win on January 8, 1955, at the War Memorial against the No. 2 Dukes (No. 4 on that Altoona Mirror 2020 poll).
• There is no joy in Loretto with this next note since we also played Robert Morris on this date two years ago at DeGol Arena. The Red Flash had an 18-point lead (60-42 with 11:53 left) before the Colonials went on a 33-13 run the rest of the way and dashed the Red Flash faithful's hopes of a win against Robert Morris with a 3-pointer from the corner with two seconds left.