WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's basketball dropped the NCAA First Four game to Alabama State, 70-68.

>> Juan Cranford Jr. led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds. The 2024-25 Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year went 6-for-12 from the field and shot a scorching hot 5-for-7 from behind the arc. He also had two assists and a block.

>> Valentino Pinedo poured in a team-best 17 points. The junior went 6-for-9 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. He recorded two rebounds, two assists, and a steal as well.

>> Riley Parker was the team's third-leading scorer with 12 points and added five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.

TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
Alabama State got the upper hand to begin the first half with a 10-6 advantage at the 15:07 mark. The Red Flash would respond to the quick start by going on a 11-2 run in the span of three minutes and 48 seconds to go up 17-12 heading into the second media timeout. The squad would never relinquish the lead for the rest of the half. The Hornets made it a 27-26 ballgame with 6:10 left, but Saint Francis waved off the rally with a 12-6 run that propelled themselves to a 39-34 lead going before the break. 

The teams battled it out all the way through the second half, with the score being 50-49 at the second media timeout with 11:32 left. A quick 5-0 run by Saint Francis after the break was immediately cut off by a 12-5 rally from Alabama State that gave them their first lead since the first half at 62-60 with 3:46 left.

The Red Flash and the Hornets went shot for shot in the final three minutes. Cranford Jr. hit a layup to tie it up at 62. After two-straight buckets from the Hornets, he hit another three to cut it to 66-65. Alabama State's TJ Madlock made a layup to make it 68-65 with 1:07 left, but it was followed up with a Chris Moncrief three that knotted the score at 68. 

With 12 seconds left, the Hornets missed their one-of-one free throw and Saint Francis had the chance to keep the ball for the last shot. Instead, they turned it over and Alabama State's Amarr Knox hit the game-winning layup with one second left to give them the win. 

FLASH QUOTES
"This team was pulling for each other and they wanted the success that came as a group," Head Coach Rob Krimmel said about the legacy of the 2024-25 men's basketball season. "That's probably what makes it so special because I've had some talented teams in my 13 years that have been close, but this team will be remembered as Northeast Conference champions forever. No one can take that away from them."

"In 15-20 years, they'll be able to reflect on a really special season and I couldn't be more proud," Krimmel added.

"We didn't play so well at the start of the season, but we pushed through as a team," Pinedo said about the progress of the team through the championship run. "We played as a team and we didn't try to go for individual stats. "I think that's what made this season so special because we came together and it helped us go on the run that we had."

"We came up short, but I couldn't be more proud of the team," Pinedo added.

"The last two weeks were a lot of fun for me," Cranford Jr. said about the last two weeks of the season. "In those close games, it was about learning from our mistakes and figuring out how we can fix them for the next game. We proved that we could do that and it became easier for us each game."

"The community has meant everything to us," Parker said about the community support from Loretto. "We would've not been here without them. The support is phenomenal and I just want to thank them for everything. Shout out to every single person in the Red Flash family."

FLASH MOMENTS
The trio of Cranford Jr. (13), Pinedo (11), and Parker (10) combined for 34 of the 39 points in the first half. It was a part of an efficient offensive outing that saw the Red Flash shoot 13-for-22 from the field and 6-for-12 from beyond the arc. Ten of the 13 field goals made were assisted.

Cranford Jr. and Pinedo each poured in six points during the team's 11-2 run that gave them the lead that they wouldn't give up for the rest of the half.

With the Hornets looking to retake the lead at the 6:10 mark, Cranford Jr. knocked out two triples and Parker collected five points to help spearhead the five-point lead at halftime.

Daemar Kelly scored five of the Red Flash's first seven points of the second half to make it 46-40 at the 15:48 mark.

Jeremy Clayville scored all five of his points in the final 20 minutes and both of them kept Alabama State from taking an earlier lead. With the score at 50-49, the freshman hit a three that put Saint Francis up 53-49 at the 11:04 mark. Then, with the score at 55-54, he hit a layup on the fast break that gave the squad a 57-54 advantage with 7:07 left.

In the final 5:21 of the game, Cranford Jr. (5) and Moncrief (4) combined for the final nine points that was helping keep the Red Flash at arm's length until the final buzzer. 

FLASH NUGGETS
Cranford Jr. posted his fourth-straight game with double-digit points and his 19th overall this season. The five three pointers he cashed in were the most he had in a game since the five he had at Robert Morris on December 21. Through the NEC Tournament and First Four game, he averaged 15.8 points per game.

Pinedo dropped his 18th double-digit scoring performance of the 2024-25 campaign in tonight's contest. It was the most points scored by the All-NEC third team member since his 24-point outburst at Stonehill on February 13.

Parker registered his 22nd game of 10 or more points this season. From the start of the team's six-game winning streak on February 15 at Le Moyne to tonight's battle, the All-NEC first team member racked up five double-digit scoring outputs and averaged 16.6 points a game.

Kelly and Moncrief each tallied two blocks as a part of the team's six blocks. The two rejections is a new season-high for Moncrief.

NEXT UP FOR FLASH
The loss to Alabama State puts an end to men's basketball's 2024-25 season.