WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis drops the NEC opener to Le Moyne in men's basketball action on Friday.
>> Zion Russell paced the Red Flash with 12 points, five assists, three steals, and two rebounds, while Victor Payne added 11 points and five rebounds.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
After Russell hit a 3-pointer with 5:45 to give Saint Francis a 25-21 edge, the Dolphins closed the first half on an 18-5 run to take a 39-27 lead at halftime and never looked back for an 84-58 decision.Â
FLASH QUOTES
"When things go bad, you have to lean on your family. Sometimes we get into superhero mode, and we think that we can do it on our own, but we cannot win basketball games that way." - head coach Luke McConnell on what improvements need to be made
FLASH MOMENTSÂ
Saint Francis scored the first five points of the game and seven of the first nine. Ahmad Harrison had a trey, while Payne and Chris Moncrief each had a basket.Â
Martino and Russell sparked a 13-9 run to give the Red Flash a 25-21 lead with 5:45 left in the first half. Martino had six points, and Russell added five points in the spurt.Â
FLASH NUGGETS
Russell scored 10+ points in four straight games for the first time in his career. The redshirt senior had a streak of three in a row twice last season with Niagara. Russell has seven double-figure games this season. He reached five assists for the fourth time this season and matched his season high with three steals.
Payne, one of the remaining players who was a member of last year's NEC Tournament championship team, posted an NEC career high with his 11 points for his third 10+ point game of the season. The sophomore reached double figures for the first time since he had 15 points in back-to-back games against Troy on November 26 and Franciscan on November 29. It was also the fifth time this year he has hauled in five boards.
Skylar Wicks added nine points and seven rebounds, while Harrison added nine points.Â
Moncrief had two points in eight minutes in his first action since leaving the game against Temple with an injury. Moncrief was a key component of last year's NEC championship run that started against Le Moyne on February 22, 2025, with 25 points. That win against the Dolphins sparked the Red Flash to win the next six games and win its second title in team history.
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action against FDU on Sunday. Game time is 4 pm and will follow the women's basketball game against the Knights.Â
