LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis men's basketball begins its quest for its second Northeast Conference (NEC) championship against sixth-seed Wagner on Wednesday night at DeGol Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.
Ticket prices for the quarterfinals are $12 for reserved chairback seating 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.
In the other quarterfinal matchups on Wednesday, top seed CCSU (23-6, 14-2 NEC) hosts No. 8 Le Moyne (9-22, 4-12 NEC), No. 2 LIU hosts No. 7 Chicago State (4-27, 4-12 NEC), and fourth seed FDU (12-19, 8-8 NEC) hosts No. 5 Stonehill (15-16, 7-9 NEC). All four NEC quarterfinal games will start at 7 p.m. and air on NEC Front Row.
The winners move on to the semifinals on Saturday, with the top two remaining seeds hosting the semifinal matchups. The games will air on ESPN+, YES, NESN+, Pittsburgh Sports Net, and NEC Front Row at either 12 or 2 p.m.
Junior Riley Parker (Mandurah, Australia) paces Saint Francis (13-17, 8-8 NEC) with 13.6 points per game and 106 assists. Parker ranks eighth in the NEC in scoring, fifth in assists (3.53), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38), seventh in field goal percentage (48.6), and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (39.4). Junior Valentino Pinedo (Murcia, Spain) leads the team in rebounding (6.6 rpg.) and is second in scoring (10.2 ppg.). Pinedo ranks third in the circuit in field goal percentage (57.1), fourth in rebounding, and ninth in blocks (0.64). Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. (Dayton, Ohio) leads the team in steals (31) and ranks second in rebounding (4.3 rpg.), second in assists (59), and third in scoring (9.5 ppg.). Sophomore Bobby Rosenberger III (Quakertown, Pa.) sits third on the squad in rebounding (4.0 rpg.) and fourth in scoring (9.1 ppg.).
Zaire Williams powers Wagner (14-15, 6-10 NEC) with 11.9 points per game and 44 steals. Zae Blake is second on the Seahawks with 10.2 points per game, while Ja'Kair Sanchez is third with 8.6 points per game. Keyontae Lewis paces the team in rebounding (5.1 rpg.), and Javier Ezquerra fuels the team in assists (133).
Wagner, the co-preseason favorite, swept the season series against Saint Francis with a 70-68 double overtime win on January 20 in Staten Island and a 68-66 victory in Loretto seven days later. Parker paced the Red Flash in both meetings with 19 points in Staten Island and 15 points in Loretto. Pinedo registered a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounding) in the first meeting and 10 points in the second tilt. Junior Chris Moncrief (Turtle Creek, Pa.) scored 13 points in the January 20 meeting, while Cranford posted 14 points against the Seahawks seven days later. Sanchez powered Wagner with 24 points and 11 points in the two games, while Williams had 15 points and 12 points in the two contests. Lewis tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds in the game in New York, and Di'Andre South Howell found double figures with 11 points in the DeGol Arena clash.
Wagner leads the all-time series 46-39 and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. Saint Francis holds a 24-16 advantage in Loretto despite the Seahawks winning the last four games at DeGol Arena. This will be only the fourth meeting between two of the founding members of the NEC in the postseason and the first time the Red Flash will be the higher seed and host the game in Loretto against the Staten Island team. The Seahawks defeated the Frankies 100-83 in the 4/5 game on March 6, 1986, and 82-53 as the No. 2 seed in the NEC Quarterfinals on March 2, 2022. Saint Francis' only win against Wagner in the postseason was a 71-70 victory in the NEC Semifinals thanks to Keith Braxton's improbable 3-pointer at the buzzer on March 4, 2017, in Staten Island in the battle of seeds two and three.
Saint Francis will be making its 30th appearance in the NEC Tournament. The Loretto program is 15-28 all-time in the league postseason but holds a 9-7 record as a Top-4 seed. Saint Francis won the NEC Championship in the 1990-91 campaign as the No. 1 seed. The Red Flash is the No. 3 seed for the third time, joining the 2017-18 and 2022-23 teams.
Wagner is making its 37th NEC Tournament appearance in program history and is 28-34 in the league postseason. The Seahawks won the NEC Championship in 2002-03 and 2023-24.
Rob Krimmel is in his 13th season as the head coach at Saint Francis. Krimmel has led his alma mater to the postseason for the fourth straight season and the 11th time. He holds an 8-10 record in the NEC Tournament.
In his third season as head coach at Wagner, Donald Copeland is 3-1 in the NEC Tournament after winning the NEC Tournament last season as the sixth seed.
