Chicago State University (4-26, 4-11 NEC) at Saint Francis (12-17, 7-8 NEC)
Date | Time	Saturday, March 1, 2025 | 1:00 p.m.
Location	Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Arena
Television	NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh, play-by-play; Bernie Jubeck, color analyst)
Live Stats	Sidearm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis | Chicago State
Stats	Saint Francis | Chicago State | Northeast Conference
Social Media	@RedFlashMBB  | #BELIEVE | @RedFlashMBB | Facebook

 

Saint Francis Probable Starters
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	0	Chris Moncrief	6-6	190	Jr.	5.9	2.6	52.9	Three straight 10+ point games
G	4	Juan Cranford, Jr.	6-3	205	Fr.	9.5	4.2	45.8	10 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists in last tilt with Cougars
G	5	Daemar Kelly	6-5	195	So.	8.1	3.0	42.7	Seven stragight 10+ point games
G	11	Riley Parker	6-2	195	Jr.	13.3	3.5	48.5	Five games with 20 points this season
F	31	Valentino Pinedo	6-8	230	Jr.	10.2	6.5	58.4	Ranks third in NEC in field goal percentage
Top Players Off the Bench
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	2	Ace Talbert	6-0	185	So.	10.2	2.8	35.4	Averaging 12.8 ppg in last four games played
F	3	Miles Webb	6-8	190	Jr.	3.9	3.0	59.4	Only player with points-rebounds double-double at home
G	7	Jeremy Clayville	6-0	160	Fr.	8.3	1.6	41.4	17 points in first meeting with FDU
G	14	Bobby Rosenberger III	6-5	205	So.	9.4	4.0	40.5	Needs 59 points for 600 for his career
G	15	Victor Payne	6-4	190	Fr.	2.1	1.5	39.5	Had a big 3 against FDU on February 22
F	21	Gestin Liberis	6-9	225	Jr.	---	---	---	Averaged 11.0 ppg and 7.7 rpg in last four games played
G	23	Wisler Sanon II	6-4	190	Jr.	1.8	1.0	50.0	Season-high three rebounds at Le Moyne
F	32	Aidan Harris	6-7	205	So.	1.8	2.2	52.9	Five rebounds against FDU

SELECT GAME NOTES VS. CHICAGO STATE (FULL GAME NOTES PDF)

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Saturday's game between Saint Francis and Chicago State marks the second meeting in the all-time series after the Red Flash defeated the Cougars 81-69 on February 8.
• In the Frankies visit to the Windy City, they registered their first win in Illinois in five tries. Saint Francis lost at Illinois-Chicago (1983-84, 1999-00, 2017-18) and the University of Illinois (2021-22) in the previous four trips. Chicago State becomes the second team from the Prairie State to visit Pennsylvania after Loyola Chicago lost 86-70 on February 13, 1954. That was Maurice Stokes' junior campaign and was part of a seven-game winning streak to end the regular season before its first trip to the National Invitation Tournament.
• For the first time since the 1954-55 season, Saint Francis played in back-to-back overtime games. The 1954-55 games were the final two games of Stokes' career against Dayton and Cincinnati in the NIT. If you are curious, the NCAA record for consecutive OT games is four, held by Jacksonville (1982), Illinois State (1985), and Dayton (1988). The Saint Francis record for most extra session games  in a season is four in 2017-18.
• Saint Francis is averaging 72.1 points per game this season. If the team finishes averaging over 70 points per game, it would be the seventh time under head coach Rob Krimmel the Red Flash scored at least 70.0 points per game and the first time since 2022-23. In the previous six seasons, Saint Francis has finished with a .500 or better record in NEC play, averaging 70.0 points per game.
• Saint Francis will finish the regular season at home for the sixth time under Krimmel and the third straight season and fourth time in the last five seasons. The Red Flash is  2-3 in the final game of the regular season at home and has lost its last three tilts. The squad is 0-7 on the road in the regular season finale, and the team is looking to end a six-game losing streak overall in the final game of the regular season. The last time Saint Francis won the last game before postseason was the 2017-18 campaign. It will also be the third time the Frankies have played the final two games at home, joining the 2016-17 and 2022-23 teams. With a win on Saturday, the Red Flash would join the 2016-17 as the only other team to win its final two regular season home games, while it would be the third time the squad won its final two regular season home games after the 2017-18 team was victorious in the final five regular-season tilts.
• Saint Francis, who started league play with the first three at home, will end the regular season with the last two in Loretto against FDU on Saturday and Chicago State on March 1. The Loretto program will open and close the conference schedule at home for the eighth time in program history and the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.
• Saint Francis will honor team manager Carmen Lefoer, and senior walk-on Brendan Scanlon before the start of the game on Saturday.

AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Clinch a home playoff game for the first time since 2022-23
• Finish the regular season with a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2017-18
• Sweep the season series with Chicago State and register the first win against the state of Illinois since 1954
• Notch a non-losing conference record for the seventh time under head coach Rob Krimmel, and first since 2022-23
• Register a win on senior day

RED FLASH STATE OF THE NEC
• "Well think me up a cup of coffee and a chocolate donut with some of those little sprinkles on top" - Samuel Girard in "The Fugitive." No more thinking involved, the playoff picture is clear so enjoy a chocolate donut with some sprinkles with this information. Thanks to LIU defeating Wagner 60-47 on Thursday, Saint Francis can clinch a Top-4 spot and an NEC Quarterfinal home game with a win against Chicago State on Saturday.
• A loss to the Cougars on Saturday would force the Red Flash to scoreboard watch on Saturday after its game. With a loss, Saint Francis would need a Stonehill loss at home against Le Moyne and a Wagner loss at home against CCSU. 
• Saint Francis can finish as high as third with a win on Saturday and an FDU loss against LIU. The Frankies would most likely host either Wagner or Stonehill in this scenario. If Wagner and Stonehill finishes with the same record, Wagner would be the higher seed since it has a win against CCSU on its resume so the Skyhawks would be coming to Loretto on March 5 as the No. 6 seed. 
• If the Red Flash wins and FDU wins, then Saint Francis would be the No. 4 seed with Stonehill and Wagner again the two likeliest opponents with the same reasoning as above. 
• With a loss on Saturday, a Wagner, Stonehill and FDU victories, the Frankies would fall to sixth, the lowest seed it could be. The Red Flash would travel to FDU in this scenario.
• With a loss against Chicago State, an FDU win and a Wagner or Stonehill win, Saint Francis would be the fifth seed and travel to the team that wins (Stonehill or Wagner).
• CCSU is the regular season champion and LIU is the No. 2 seed. 
• If Chicago State and Le Moyne end the regular season tied, the Cougars hold the tiebreaker by virtue of its 73-67 overtime win against LIU on February 1. 

COACHES POWERING FORWARD
• The Saint Francis men's basketball coaching staff will join many coaches nationwide wearing blue puzzle-piece lapel pins to raise awareness for Autism. The blue puzzle piece is a symbol of Autism that represents the complexity and diversity of the autism spectrum. It's used by organizations like Autism Speaks to raise awareness and promote acceptance. 
• Autism Speaks Coaches Powering Forward was created in 2014 after two NCAA coaches embarked on a mission to raise awareness of Autism. Inspired by their children diagnosed with Autism, they made a simple request to fellow coaches: Wear the Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece pin during the televised February week games. In an overwhelming response, more than 82 NCAA coaches and broadcasters took to the sidelines and airwaves throughout the week wearing the puzzle pin that first year.
• By 2018, the support soared to 375 NCAA coaches wearing the pins and more than 420 schools showing their support for people with Autism. Today, Autism affects 1 in 36 children in the U.S. and more than 70 million people worldwide.

THANK YOU, SENIORS
• Saint Francis would like to thank seniors Carmen Lefoer and Brendan Scanlon for their hard work and dedication to Saint Francis and the men's basketball program. 
• Scanlon, a walk-on, was a member of the team for the last four years, registering 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists in 17 games. He posted 10 of his 12 points in three games against Franciscan, including a career-high six points on December 19. His grandfather, Gary Miliken, played for the 1960 Ohio State men's basketball national championship team. The two shared a moment in a pregame ceremony when the Red Flash played at Ohio State in his sophomore year.
• Lofoer has been a men's basketball team manager for the last four years.

ABOUT THE COUGARS
• Chicago State comes into the contest 4-26 overall and 4-11 in NEC play after falling 90-68 to Mercyhurst on Thursday. The Cougars will be the seventh or eighth seed in the upcoming tournament.
• Jalen Forrest paced Chicago State with 19 points. Quincy Allen added 16 points and Gabe Spinelli chipped in 13 points against the Lakers. 
• Forrest leads the team with 12.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Spinelli is the team leader in assists (88) and Matthew Robinson, Jr. leads steals (43). 

LAST TIME WE MET
• Freshmen Jeremy Clayville and Juan Cranford, Jr. powered Saint Francis past Chicago State 81-69 on February 8
• Clayville led the Red Flash with 17 points thanks to 6-for-8 shooting from the floor and 5 of 6 from behind the arc. Cranford registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while adding seven assists and a steal.
•Junior Valentino Pinedo tallied 14 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore Daemar Kelly (13 points) and junior Riley Parker (11 points) also finished in double figures as the Red Flash had five players reach double figures for the second-straight game.

LAST TIME OUT
• Junior Chris Moncrief scored on a jumper in the lane with 52 seconds in overtime left to lift Saint Francis past FDU 85-80 on February 22.
• Junior Riley Parker paced the Red Flash with 28 points, while Moncrief finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
• Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. also finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore Daemar Kelly had 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

TRENDING UP
• "If they say / Why (why?), why (why?) / Tell 'em that it's human nature" - "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson. If you are ever in the gym when junior Riley Parker is shooting there is a good chance that Michael Jackson is playing on the speaker and "Human Nature" is one of the songs that is usually a top song on his play list. We do not have to ask why, why Parker continues to put up 20-point games because it is becoming human nature to him. He has five games with at least 20 points to become the eighth player under head coach Rob Krimmel to have five 20-point games in a season, joining an impressive list that includes Isaiah Blackmon, Keith Braxton, Earl Brown, Josh Cohen, Jamal King, Maxwell Land and Andre Wofford. Cohen had 17 20-point games, and Land had five in 2022-23 to mark the last time a player had at least five in a season. Cohen's 17 games are the most in a season under Krimmel. FUN FACT: "Human Nature" is written by John Bettis and Steve Porcaro, who is a member of Toto. The band Toto worked with Jackson on his "Thriller" album while its legendary song "Africa" was being mixed for an October 1982 single release. Toto passed on the song because they preferred stadium-rock-oriented material, and producer Quincy Jones heard the song, and the rest is history.
• "Excuse me, I don't think there is anything wrong with this piano," Ray Charles in "Blue Brothers." Just like the piano in the "Blue Brothers," junior Chris Moncrief has come alive and started to "shake his tailfeather" since joining the starting lineup against Le Moyne on February 6. Moncrief has scored double figures in four of the six games and is averaging 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.5 rebounds per game to help the Red Flash to a 4-2 record in that span. The junior is shooting 63.8 percent (30-for-47) from teh floor, 44.4 percent from behind the arc (4-for-9) and 69.2 percent from the free throw line (69.2). The Red Flash has averaged 79.0 points per game in the last six games and scored 67 points or more in all six contests.
• We might need to take a timeout for some more birthday wishes but don't ask Chris Webber for one because he may not remember that he doesn't have one, even if March 1 is his birthday (he was born March 1, 1973). A Red Flash player, who does not need a timeout is sophomore Daemar Kelly, has reached double figures in his last six games and is averaging 12.7 points per game in his current streak. During his current run, Kelly has posted a career-high 14 points three times, while he had 13 points in the first meeting with Chicago State on February 6. The sophomore is shooting 50.0 percent from the floor (28-for-56), 42.3 percent from 3-point Land (11-for-26), and 75.0 percent (9-for-12) from the free throw line.   
• Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. is "kind of like a box of chocolates because you never know what you are going to get," - "Forrest Gump." Cranford has 15 games with at least 10 points, 10 games with at least five rebounds, and eight with at least three assists. Three times, Cranford has posted 10+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists, while he also has four tilts with 10+ points and 5+ rebounds. The last time the freshman played Chicago State, he tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
• Saint Francis has posted a two-game winning streak for the third time this season. The Red Flash also had two two-gamers last year but is looking for its first three-game winning streak since winning three straight from February 16-23, 2023.

ON THIS DATE
• Saint Francis is 3-11 on this date, holding a 3-1 record at home, 0-6 in Northeast Conference play and 2-1 in the NEC Tournament.
• Saint Francis has played two NEC Quarterfinal games on this date and were victorious in both contests. The Red Flash defeated Bryant 100-78 in 2017 and CCSU 83-69 in 2022-23.
• Isaiah Blackmon paced Saint Francis with 24 points, while Keith Braxton (22 points), Jamal King (14 points), Georgios Angelou (13 points) and Josh Nebo (14 rebounds) all registered double figures against the Bulldogs in 2017. It was just the second time the Frankies registered 100 points in an NEC Tournament game (W, 103-79, LIU, February 28, 1994). Saint Francis would go on to play in the NEC Championship Game in 2017 after Blackmon hit the game-winning 3-pointer to beat Wagner 71-70 in the NEC Semifinals on March 4.
• Josh Cohen tallied 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Maxwell Land (23 points) and Ronell Giles, Jr. (14 points) also registered double figures against the Blue Devils in 2023. This was also the last time Saint Francis hosted a playoff game, something the team is looking to do again in 2025.
FUN FACT
• The games against Bryant and CCSU in the NEC Quarterfinals are the only time Saint Francis hosted a game on this date except against La Salle (L, 55-67) in 1947 and against Duquesne (W, 75-63 in 1959 so Saturday's game will also mark the first regular season home game on this date since 1959.