Wagner College (14-15, 6-10 NEC) at Saint Francis (13-17, 8-8 NEC)
Date | Time	Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 7:00 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 | Wagner
Stats	Saint Francis | Wagner | 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.	6.1	2.6	53.5	Career-high six steals against Chicago State
G	4	Juan Cranford, Jr.	6-3	205	Fr.	9.5	4.3	45.5	Fourth Red Flash player named NEC Rookie of the Year
G	5	Daemar Kelly	6-5	195	So.	8.2	3.1	43.2	Eight stragight 10+ point games
G	11	Riley Parker	6-2	195	Jr.	13.6	3.5	48.6	Averaging 17.1 ppg in last 10 games
F	31	Valentino Pinedo	6-8	230	Jr.	10.2	6.6	57.1	First career double-double at home against Chicago State
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	Out for the year with an injury
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.	8.4	1.5	41.9	Named to the NEC All-Rookie Team
G	14	Bobby Rosenberger III	6-5	205	So.	9.1	4.0	39.9	Needs 59 points for 600 for his career
G	15	Victor Payne	6-4	190	Fr.	2.0	1.5	39.5	Had a big 3 against FDU on February 22
F	21	Gestin Liberis	6-9	225	Jr.	---	---	---	Out for the year with an injury
G	23	Wisler Sanon II	6-4	190	Jr.	1.8	1.2	46.2	Season-high three rebounds at Le Moyne
F	32	Aidan Harris	6-7	205	So.	1.9	2.1	55.6	Five rebounds against FDU on February 22

SELECT GAME NOTES VS. WAGNER (FULL GAME NOTES PDF) | ALL-NEC RELEASE | MATCHUP RELEASE

TICKET INFORMATION
Saint Francis, the third seed in the NEC Tournament, will host sixth seed Wagner on Wednesday in the NEC Quarterfinals. Game time is 7 p.m. Tickets for the NEC Quarterfinals game are on sale. Tickets are $12 for reserved tickets and $10 for general admission. Children 5-18 years general admission tickets are $5. Tickets are available the day of the game or by calling Director of Athletics Jim Brazill at 814-472-2774.

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Wednesday's game between Saint Francis and Wagner marks the 86th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1956-57 season. The Seahawks swept the season series against the Red Flash for the 14th time in the matchup. Since Keith Braxton's 3-point buzzer-beater in the NEC Semifinals on March 4, 2017, Wagner has won 13 of the last 17 meetings, including 10 of the last 11 tilts to take a 46-39 lead in the all-time series.
• Saint Francis enters the Northeast Conference Tournament after playing three straight overtime games for the first time in program history. The only other time the Red Flash played consecutive OT games was in the NIT with Maurice Stokes 70 years ago. Saint Francis won three straight games that went to overtime under head coach Rob 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.
• If you are curious, the NCAA record for consecutive OT games is four, held by Jacksonville (1982), Illinois State (1985), and Dayton (1988). Saint Francis tied its record for most extra session games in a season with four (2017-18).
• The Red Flash and the Seahawks have gone to overtime five times in the series, including two of the last three tilts. The last meeting in Loretto was the first time the two teams did not have overtime after playing two consecutive. The two teams have played five overtime games since 1981-82: 1981-82, 2007-08, 2016-17, 2023-24 and 2024-25. Along with tying an NEC record, if Wagner and Saint Francis go to overtime on Wednesday, it would be the second time in program history the Frankies would play OT twice against the same opponent and the first since Robert Morris in 1983-84.
• Saint Francis enters the NEC Tournament on a three-game or more winning streak for the fourth time in program history. In the 1990 NEC Tournament, the Red Flash won three consecutive tilts before falling 65-52 to No. 5 FDU in the quarterfinals at DeGol Arena. The following year, the Frankies went into the NEC Tournament on a four-game winning streak and went on to win its only NEC Tournament title as the No. 1 seed in 1991. The 2017-18 team won the final five games of the regular season before falling 84-75 to FDU in the 3/6 game in the 2018 NEC Tournament.
• With its win against Chicago State on March 1 also ended a six-game losing streak in the final regular season game of the year, marking the first regular-season finale win since the 2017-18 campaign. The Red Flash is 5-7 in the NEC Tournament in the first game it plays after winning the regular season finale, but it is 4-1 in Loretto. The Frankies won its first NEC Tournament game after finishing the regular season with wins in 1991, 1992, 1995, and 2017, while they lost in 2018.

AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Advance to the NEC semifinals for the first time since the 2022-23 season
•Notch its fourth-straight win, the longest winning streak since the 2022-23 season
• End a five-game losing streak to Wagner and a three-game losing streak at home against the Seahawks
• Register 10 wins at DeGol Arena for the sixth time under head coach Rob Krimmel and the 17th time since it opened in 1972-73

SAINT FRANCIS NEC TOURNAMENT: 30 FOR 30 
1. Saint Francis is making its 30th appearance in the Northeast Conference Tournament in the 44-year history of the league
2. The Red Flash is looking for its first NEC Tournament title since 1990-91
3. The Frankies have advanced to the NEC Championship Game in 2016-17, 2018-19, and 2019-20 under head coach Rob Krimmel
4. Saint Francis will be the third seed in the tournament for the third time in program history (2018, 2023)
5. The Red Flash is 15-28 all-time in the NEC Tournament and holds a 9-7 record as a Top-4 seed
6. Saint Francis is 12-4 in the NEC Tournament at DeGol Arena, including 5-2 in the NEC Quarterfinals
7. The last time the Frankies hosted a tournament game was an 83-75 win against CCSU in the 3/6 game in 2023
8. Saint Francis has scored 80 points in its last three playoff games at DeGol Arena (W, 87-61, March 4, 2020, vs. Bryant; W, 84-72, March 7, 2020, vs. Sacred Heart; W, 83-69, March 1, 2023, vs. CCSU)
9. It is the fourth meeting against Wagner in the NEC Tournament and third time in the quarterfinals
10. The Seahawks won both meetings in the quarterfinals against the Flash with a 100-83 win on March 6, 1985, and an 82-53 victory on March 2, 2022
11. Saint Francis's only win in the series was a 71-70 win in Staten Island in the NEC Semifinals on March 4, 2017, thanks to Keith Braxton's 3-point buzzer-beater
12. It will be the first time the two teams will battle in the NEC Tournament in Loretto
13. The third seed is 26-14 in the NEC Quarterfinals
14. The third seed has won the NEC Championship in 1996 (Monmouth), 2006 (Monmouth) and 2013 (LIU)
15. The third seed has advanced to the title bout and lost in 1997 (Monmouth), 2000 (Robert Morris), 2011 (Robert Morris) and 2012 (Robert Morris)
16. It will be the second time in NEC history a .500 team will have a Top-4 seed and the first time two teams with a .500 record finished in the Top-4 (Robert Morris, Mount St. Mary's, and FDU finished tied for fourth in 2006-07 and Robert Morris won the tiebreaker)
17. Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. is the fourth NEC Rookie of the Year in Red Flash history, joining Dashan Luckey (2002-03), Malik Harmon (2012-13) and Keith Braxton (2016-17) | After being tabbed as the Rookie of the Year, Luckey registered 14 points in a 75-57 loss to Quinnipiac in the NEC Quarterfinals on March 3, 2003 | Braxton registered 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 100-78 win against Bryant at DeGol Arena on March 1, 2017, and then had 15 points and eight rebounds with the game-winning shot against Wagner in the NEC Semifinals on March 4, 2017
18. This will be the seventh time the Red Flash will face a team that swept the season series and will be looking to avenge the season series loss for the first time after falling all three times to Loyola (1986-87), Rider (1995-96), 1999-00 (Robert Morris), 2015-16 (FDU), 2021-22 (Wagner) and 2022-23 (CCSU)
19. Conversely, the Frankies won both meetings in a season series in 1993-94 (LIU), 1997-98 (Mount St. Mary's), and 2017-18 (FDU) but only swept the three games against LIU
20. The sixth seed has won the NEC Tournament twice: in 1999 (Mount St. Mary's) and 2024 (Wagner)
21. Wagner has advanced to the NEC Championship Game as the No. 6 seed twice: 2005, 2024
22. Wagner will be the No. 6 seed for the 11th time and holds a 5-6 record at the seed
23. The Seahawks will be the fourth team to be the No. 6 seed in consecutive years, joining 1995-96 Wagner, 2008-09 CCSU and 2017-18 FDU
24. The most points Saint Francis has scored in a quarterfinal game was 100 against Bryant in 2017
25. Mike Iuzzolino holds the Saint Francis record for most points in a tournament game after registering 32 points against FDU in the NEC Championship Game on March 2, 1991
26. Ronnie Drinnon holds the Red Flash record for rebounds in a game in the NEC Tournament with 22 against FDU in the NEC Quarterfinals on March 2, 2016 (Drinnon also had 18 rebounds against Bryant on March 5, 2014)
27. Since the Red Flash has gone to overtime in its last three games, it is worth noting that 11 NEC Tournament games have gone to overtime (five quarterfinals, five semifinals, and one championship game)
28. The 3/6 game has gone to overtime three times, and the three seed won two of the three with a Wagner 77-76 win as the No. 6 seed against St. Francis Brooklyn in 1998, the only defeat
29. Krimmel is 9-10 in the NEC Tournament, and with one win, can become the 12th head coach in NEC history to reach double figures in NEC Tournament wins (Wagner's Donald Copeland is the next active head coach with three tournament wins)
30. Before the Red Flash 55-54 win against Bryant on March 5, 2014, the team had not won a tournament game since February 26, 1995

ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS
• Wagner comes into the contest 14-15 overall and 6-10 in Northeast Conference play after falling 55-48 against CCSU on Saturday. The Seahawks are 6-9 on the road and 3-5 in NEC play but were also 3-5 at home in league play. 
• Zae Blake paced Wagner with 17 points against the Blue Devils, while Churchill Bounds added 13 points. 
• Zaire Williams leads the team with 11.9 points per game and 44 steals, while Blake averages double figures with 10.2 points per game. Keyontae Lewis leads the team rebounding (5.1 rpg.), while Javier Ezquerra has a team-best 133 assists and is second to Williams with 35 steals.
• Williams was named to the All-NEC third team and to the All-Defensive team along with Ezquerra. The All-Defensive team is a new category in 2024-25.

WAGNER-SAINT FRANCIS: PART ONE
• A remarkable comeback attempt by Saint Francis was thwarted when Wagner's Zaire Williams scored the decisive basket with 1.9 seconds left in the second overtime to down the Red Flash 70-68 on January 20.
• Junior Chris Moncrief tied the game at 68 with 10 seconds left in the second extra session and finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Junior Riley Parker led the Red Flash with 19 points, while junior Valentino Pinedo tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• Ja'Kair Sanchez paced the Seahawks with 24 points. Williams added 15 points, and Keyontae Lewis tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds.
• The last time the Red Flash played double overtime was at Central Connecticut State on February 28, 2013.

WAGNER-SAINT FRANCIS: PART DUEX
• Wagner rallied for a 68-66 victory against Saint Francis at DeGol Arena on January 26.
• Di'Andre Howell-South hit a 3-pointer with 87 seconds left to complete a 19-point comeback. The Red Flash had a chance at the buzzer to tie the game, but the shot bounced off the rim and out.
• Junior Riley Parker paced the Red Flash with 15 points and six rebounds. Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. added 14 points and six caroms, and junior Valentino Pinedo posted 10 points. 
• Zaire Williams registered 12 points and seven boards, while Howell-South and Ja'Kair Sanchez each registered 11 points.

LAST TIME OUT
• Junior Riley Parker is starting to earn the nickname Primetime Parker after posting 14 of his 22 points in the final six minutes and 38 seconds of the game to propel Saint Francis past Chicago State 80-71 in overtime on Saturday.
• Similar to the game against LIU when Parker was playing in front of his father for the first time in the United States, it was his mother, Natasha, and stepfather Ryan's turn to see him shine in front of the DeGol Arena faithful. Parker scored the final five points in regulation and then had seven points in overtime to seal a home playoff game for the Red Flash.
• Junior Chris Moncrief posted 12 points and five steals, while sophomore Daemar Kelly added 11 points and five rebounds. Freshman  Jeremy Clayville chipped in 11 points off the bench. Junior Valentino Pinedo registered his first double-double at home with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• It was the third straight game the Red Flash played an overtime game to set a program record for consecutive extra session games.

TRENDING UP
• "Hello Muddah. Hello Faddah. / Here I am at Camp Grenada / Camp is very entertaining / And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining" - "Hello Muddah. Hello Faddah" by Allan Sherman. If you remember the Sherman song, the kid complains until the weather improves and tells his parents not to come and to "kindly disregard this letter." Junior Riley Parker has enjoyed his experience at Camp Loretto, but he has also enjoyed the two times that he has had his mother and father come to visit from Australia. His father came for the games against LIU (January 24) and Wagner (January). Parker posted a career-high 29 points against the Sharks in the victory. Parker's mother and stepfather surprised him for the regular season finale against Chicago State and paced the Red Flash with 22 points to once again lead the Flash to victory. In the last 10 games that started with his father's visit, Parker averages 17.1 points per game with three 20-point games and four contests with at least 18 points. The junior was also held to single digits only once.
• "He's probably been stealing since he could crawl," Mortimer Duke in "Trading Places." Randolph and Mortimer Duke would probably not have had their usual wager of one dollar to have junior Chris Moncrief register a career-high seven steals against Chicago State, but Moncrief became the first player since Ramiir Dixon-Conover to register five thefts in a game. It was the 14th time under head coach Rob Krimmel that a player had a handful of robberies in a game, the 13th against an NCAA Division I opponent, and the ninth against an NEC team. Dixon-Conover had six games with at least five steals, while Keith Braxton (three) and Jamal King (two) also had multiple games with five thefts. In addition, Moncrief has posted 10 points in four straight games for the first time in his career and is averaging 15.3 points per game in that stretch.
• On March 5, 1991, Reggie Miller began a free throw streak of 52 consecutive made. The streak would end on March 18, 1991. During the game against Chicago State, there was a review to determine which player would take free throws. Sophomore Daemar Kelly was the one put on the line and made both freebies. He is third on the team in free throw percentage, by the way (78.9 percent). He is nowhere near Miller's level in 1991, but has made his last nine free throws. The sophomore has also reached double figures in eight straight games. Kelly has registered a career-high 14 points thrice during this span and is averaging 12.6 points per game.
• "I know you can be underwhelmed, and you can be overwhelmed, but can you ever just be, like, whelmed?"..." "I think you can in Europe." conversation between Chasity and Bianca in "Ten Things I Hate About You." Junior Valentino Pinedo might know if it's possible in Europe since he hails from Spain, but he also overwhelmed Chicago State with his first double-double at DeGol Arena thanks to a 10-point, 10-rebound output in the regular season finale. It was the junior's third double-double, second in the Keystone State, and second against an NEC opponent. Pinedo registered 11 points and 12 rebounds against Penn State on November 12 and then reversed those totals with 12 points and 11 rebounds at Wagner on January 20. He also had 11 boards against Georgetown on November 23 to become the only player under Krimmel with two 10+ rebound games against a Power 5 team.   
• After registering a two-game winning streak twice this season and one last year, the Red Flash notched its first three-game winning streak since February 16-23, 2023. With another win, the team would have a four-game winning streak for the first time since December 29, 2022-January 14, 2023. During that span, the Frankies defeated Wagner 68-63 in Staten Island for the only win against the Seahawks in the last 11 tilts.

ON THIS DATE
• Saint Francis is 2-8 on this date, holding a 1-1 record at home and 1-1 in the NEC Tournament.
• Saint Francis has played in the NEC Tournament twice on this date, with an 83-66 loss at Robert Morris in 1992 and a 55-54 win at Bryant in 2014 in head coach Rob Krimmel's first career postseason game as a head coach.
• Ronnie Drinnon scored in the lane with 43 seconds left, grabbed the defensive rebound on the next possession, and made two free throws to help Saint Francis defeat Bryant 55-54 on this date in 2014 to notch the first NEC Tournament win since a 94-80 win in the NEC Quarterfinals on February 26, 1995, and end a five-game losing streak. Drinnon paced the Red Flash in Smithfield with 20 points and 18 rebounds. Malik Harmon, who posted six points, three rebounds, and two assists in that game against the Bulldogs, was a freshman on that team and was in attendance for the Red Flash win against Chicago State on Saturday. He has said he plans to be at the NEC Quarterfinals game against Wagner on Wednesday.
FUN FACTS
• Saint Francis has been at home only twice on this date. The Red Flash suffered an 83-73 loss to Saint Joseph's in 1949 and defeated Duquesne 84-69 in 1960.
• Wednesday's game will be the first in Loretto since 1960 and the first in DeGol Arena.
• Dr. William "Skip" Hughes' first season as the men's basketball head coach was the 1945-46 season. Despite starting his coaching career 1-1-1, the Frankies lost the final four games in his first season, including the final game of that season, a 56-43 loss at Indiana (Pa.) on this date in 1946. Hughes would go on to post a 292-202-1 record in his legendary 21-year career.