WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Paris Papadatos and Trey Weiand both produced career nights to power Saint Francis past Penn State Shenango 100-41 in non-conference men's basketball action on Wednesday.
>> Papadatos shot 7-for-14 from the floor, 3 of 7 from behind the arc and made both free throws on his way to a game-high 19 points. Weiand was 7-for-12 from the floor and 3 of 6 from 3-point land to finish with 17 points.
>> Ralph Martino, Jr. also had a career-high 12 points and seven rebounds, while Zion Russell also registered 12 points.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Fueled by six points by Weiand and five points apiece by Victor Payne and Zion Russell, the Red Flash scored the first 20 points of the game and never looked back.

FLASH QUOTES
"Coming off a tough loss at Xavier, I thought we responded really well with our effort and the way we shared the ball." - head coach Luke McConnell on the win

"Trey just embodies everything we want when you wear the Saint Francis uniform. I can't take him off the floor because he sets the tone with his effort and everything he does to the highest of his ability." - McConnell on Trey Weiand

"I'm so thankful for every opportunity that they gave me. I love Saint Francis and everything about the school." - Trey Weiand about being a part of the team

"I had a rough start, and they gave me a chance to play in the second half, and it felt amazing. I was so hyped to play and never experienced anything like that before with the band, and I really love them." - Paris Papadatos on playing in his first game at DeGol Arena

FLASH MOMENTS 
Saint Francis closed the final six minutes and 34 seconds of the first half on a 16-6 run thanks to seven points apiece by Weiand and Zion Russell.

In the second half, the Red Flash had a 27-12 run over nearly 10 minutes to increase its advantage to 73-30 with 8:52 on the clock. Papadotos and Brandon Russell led the charge with five points each. 

In the final four minutes of the game, Melvin Weaver III notched their first collegiate points. scoring in the lane with 88 seconds on the clock. Ryen Gresko, who had his first career points on free throws on Saturday, registered his first career field goal with a layup with 39 ticks on the clock. Carson Rhodes scored off his own offensive rebound at 2:35 left in the game for his first points of the season and second basket of his collegiate career.

FLASH NUGGETS
Weiand, a walk-on who originally came to Saint Francis as a walk-on on the Red Flash football team, came into the game with 25 career points. He had 12 of those points in the previous four days, after a then-career-best eight points against Franciscan on Saturday and four points at Xavier on Monday. 

Papadotos had his collegiate debut delayed after an injury on the night before the season opener at Oklahoma on November 3. After playing for four minutes at Xavier and scoring his first career basket, he finally made his DeGol Arena debut. The freshman made seven of his last nine shots of the game after starting the game 0-for-5 and his collegiate career 1-for-9.

Coming off a career-best nine points at Xavier, Martino registered his first career 10+ point game with a career-high 12 points against the Lions. She added a season-high six rebounds and two assists, and has registered nine assists in his last three games. 

Zion Russell reached double figures in consecutive games for the second time this season, and ranks second on the team with six 10+ point games.

Gestin Liberis finished with six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. It is the fourth time in his career he has reached double figures and boards, and the first time he did not finish with a double-double. The three rejections tied a career best.

Payne had a career-high nine rebounds to go along with eight points, three assists, a block and a steal. The sophomore has a block in his last three games and eight on the year.

Brandon Russell stuffed the stat sheet with seven points and a career-high in rebounds (8) and assists (6). KJ Swain, Jr. also had a personal-best seven assists along with six points.

Saint Francis scored 100 points for the first time since a 104-55 win against Franciscan on December 19, 2024.

The 64 rebounds marked the first time the Red Flash had 60 rebounds in a game since against Franciscan on November 15, 2021. It was also the first time the Frankies had 20 offensive rebounds since at FDU on February 17, 2024. 

Saint Francis has dished out at least 20 assists in its last three games. The Red Flash has not turned that trick dating back to at least the 1997-98 season, but came close in 2004-05 when the squad had three of four games with 20 or more assists and narrowly missed four in a row, finishing with 19 from December 4-19, 2004.

NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action and starts a three-game road trip at Radford on Sunday. Game time is 2:30 p.m. Read Full Article