If you saw the end of the Maryland-Michigan State game earlier this week, the one in Loretto was almost the same, but this time in the host's favor. Still, Saint Francis was saved from the devasting defeat after Chicago State missed a breakaway dunk in the waning seconds of regulation off a steal to send the game to overtime.
Playing in its third consecutive OT game, Saint Francis knew how to get it done. The Cougars won the jump, but
corralled the defensive rebound, and Pinedo gave the Frankies the lead it would not relinquish at 4:21 in OT. Cranford increased the lead to four before Parker converted a traditional 3-point play for a 75-68 lead with 2:48 on the clock. Parker scored four of the final five points to earn the third-straight win.
"I've been in college basketball for almost 30 years, and I don't know that I've experienced a final 15 seconds in regulation like that, but our guys responded. The confidence that they played with in the overtime was important, and to come out with three straight wins, three of them in overtime, gives us some momentum going into the playoffs."
"It's coming back and working and embracing that journey of playing your best basketball in March. They've done a good job of embracing struggle, developing composure, and learning how to win close games. And that's what it will be like the rest of the way for us. There will be some bad moments, but over 40 minutes, this late in the year, victory will go to the team that makes the fewest mistakes."
"The team is my extended family. And then when my family comes over and see how I'm living, see my lifestyle, it's just, you know, you can't really beat that. We are gonna have these memories forever."
"We've won three in a row and have another level to get to. Now, the playoffs are starting. It's March Madness, and anything can happen. I believe in this team and our staff; we can go all the way."
FLASH MOMENTS
Trailing 46-36 with 13:07 left in regulation, Saint Francis closed regulation on a 32-22 run to end up in overtime. The spurt would have been a 32-19 run if not for a 3-pointer to tie the game for the second consecutive game; this time, there was no need to keep the bank open like against FDU. Parker fueled the comeback with eight points, with six of them coming in the final 98 seconds of regulation. Kelly also had five points, while Pinedo and Moncrief each registered four points.
In the first half, Chicago State jumped out to a 12-4 advantage before Saint Francis scored the following seven points to make it a one-point game. Clayville had five points in the run.
Before OT, Saint Francis only held the lead for one minute and 27 seconds, and that was not until Parker hit a 3-pointer with 1:38 left in regulation for a 64-63 lead. The Red Flash maintained that advantage until the Cougars tied the game at 68 with 23 seconds left. Overtime was a different story as Pinedo gave Saint Francis the lead with 39 seconds into the extra session and did not lose it the rest of the way.
FLASH NUGGETS
Parker, the current NEC Player of the Week, notched 20 points in consecutive games for the second time this season after turning the trick against Georgetown (November 23) and Lehigh (November 26) in non-conference play. The junior is the seventh player under head coach
Rob Krimmel to notch six 20-point games in a season, joining an impressive list: Isaiah Blackmon, Keith Braxton, Earl Brown, Josh Cohen, Jamal King, and Andre Wofford. Cohen was the last player to have at least six games with 20 points in 2022-23 when he registered 17 20-point games, the most under Krimmel.
Parker, who transferred to Saint Francis from Cochise College, an NJCAA Division I team in Arizona, with 608 points, eclipsed 1,000 points between the two schools and now stands at 1,015 after registering 407 this season in Loretto.
Moncrief became the first player since Ramiir Dixon-Conover to have five steals in a game. Dixon-Conover recorded six thefts against Hartford on December 14, 2021. The junior has posted double figures in four consecutive games and the sixth time in conference play. He is averaging 15.3 points per game in his last four games.
Kelly extended his 10+ scoring streak to eight games and has nine double-figure point games in his last 10 tilts. The sophomore is averaging 12.1 points per game in his last 10 contests.
Clayville registered 11 points against Chicago State after posting 17 points in the meeting against the Cougars in the Windy City on February 8. The freshman has 11 games with at least 10 points, including five in NEC play.
Pinedo tallies his third double-double but his first at DeGol Arena. The junior had double-doubles at Penn State (11 points, 12 rebounds) on November 12 and at Wagner (12 points, 11 rebounds) on January 20. It was also his fourth 10+ rebound game, but the other three took place on the road. He has posted double figures in points in eight of his last 11 tilts.
Cranford, the current NEC Rookie of the Week, posted eight points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists against Chicago State in the first meeting. The freshman just missed posting 10+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists for the fourth time this season.
Saint Francis will be a Top-4 seed in the NEC Tournament for the fifth time under Krimmel and the eighth time in program history. The last time the Red Flash hosted a game was as the No. 3 seed against CCSU in 2022-23.
The Frankies played a program-record third straight overtime game. The program record was two in a row held by the 1954-55 team before the team tied it against FDU. Saint Francis won three straight games that went to overtime under Krimmel for the first time under the 13-year head coach. It is the third time in program history the team has won three consecutive games that went to overtime, but the previous two times spanned over multiple seasons. Saint Francis won two OT games in 1981-82 and one in 1982-83, while the Red Flash went to overtime one time in 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 and won each time for the only other occasions the team had three consecutive wins in OT.
It was also the first time Saint Francis won a regular season finale since 2017-18, ending a six-game losing streak. That season was also the last time the Red Flash went into the postseason with a winning streak thanks to five consecutive wins to end the regular season.
Saint Francis has posted three consecutive wins for the first time since the end of the 2022-23 season. The squad won three in a row before dropping the regular season finale.
Saint Francis won a regular season NEC game for the first time in program history on March 1, ending a six-game skid. It was the first regular season win on this date since defeating Duquesne 75-63 in 1959. The Red Flash did win a pair of NEC Tournament games at home on this date (2017 and 2023).
The Frankies have scored 80 points in three straight contests for the first time since the 2019-20, when they registered four consecutive 80-point games
Before the game, Saint Francis honored senior team manager Carmen Lefoer and senior walk-on
Brendan Scanlon, who registered 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 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.
NEXT ON TAP
Tickets for the NEC Quarterfinals game on Wednesday are now on sale. Tickets are $12 for reserved tickets and $10 for general admission. Tickets are available the day of the game or by calling Director of Athletics Jim Brazill at 814-472-2774.
