WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Skylar Wicks and Chris Moncrief combined for 38 points to lift Saint Francis past Chicago State 81-60 in NEC men's basketball action on Friday night.
>> Wicks finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds to register third double-double of the season, while Moncrief added a season-high 18 points. 
>> Zion Russell registered his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Victor Payne chipped in 10 points.
>> The Red Flash shot 70 percent in the first half to register over 70 percent in 20 minutes of play for the first time since December 31, 2017, at Bryant in the second half.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Saint Francis has played some barn burners dating back to the last three games of the 2024-25 regular season, the NEC Tournament, and the start of league play this season, but this game, the hay was put in the barn early. 

With the game tied at 13, Payne sparked a 19-6 run with six points to give the Red Flash the lead for good at 36-22 with 6:46 left in the first half. Wicks also had five points in the surge. The Cougars did not get closer than nine points the rest of the way.

FLASH QUOTES
"That was our best defensive performance of the year. Offensively, 23 assists on 28 baskets, that is Saint Francis basketball and the kind of basketball we want to play." - head coach Luke McConnell on the game

FLASH MOMENTS 
After Chicago State cut the margin to 39-30, the Red Flash used a 12-2 run to take its largest lead at 57-34 with 16:03 on the clock. Wicks had six, and Moncrief added five points.

Saint Francis closed the game with a 12-3 spurt in the final three minutes thanks to five points from Ahmad Harrison, who had a career-high eight assists on the night.

FLASH NUGGETS
Wicks registered his third 20-point game in NEC play and eighth overall this season. He has scored double figures in four straight games and is averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He posted his second double-double with 20 points after tallying 24 points and 12 rebounds at Lehigh on November 18. The redshirt senior shot 50 percent from the floor and 3-point land after connecting on 7 of his 14 shots overall and 4 of his 8 from downtown. 

Moncrief registered a season-high and the most points he has scored since he had a career-high 25 points at LeMoyne on February 20. He has posted at least 14 points in four of the five NEC games and the Frankies have won each of those games. The senior shot 7-for-9 from the field, 1 of 2 from behind the arc, and 3 of 4 from the charity stripe. Je has posted 10+ points in back-to-back games for the second time this season.

Russell registered his first career double-double after reaching 10 rebounds for the first time in his career. His previous standard was eight, last achieved at Xavier on December 1. The redshirt senior returned to double figures after finishing the game against Stonehill with nine points and is averaging 12.5 points per game in his last seven games.

Wicks and Russell marked the first time two Red Flash players had a double-double since Riley Parker (15 points, 10 assists) and Miles Webb (13 points, 12 rebounds) against Penn State Shenango on December 4, 2024. It was also the first time two players had 10 rebounds in the same game since Eli Wilborn (11 rebounds) and Bobby Rosenberger (10 rebounds) against Stonehill on February 22, 2024.

Payne reached double figures for the third time in four games and the fourth time in NEC play. Harrison, who hit the buzzer beater against Stonehill on Monday, finished with eight points, a career-high eight assists, and four steals. Gestin Liberis added nine points, four assists, and two blocks.

Saint Francis shot 73.9 percent in the first half after connecting on 17 of its 23 shots to mark the first time it shot over 70 percent in a half in nine years. The Red Flash finished the game shooting 54.9 percent from the floor (28-for-51), its best mark since hitting 54.5 percent against Chicago State in the February 8 bout last season. The Frankies shot 50 percent in a game against Division I opponents 10 times last season and went 7-3 in those contests.

The Red Flash had 23 assists, the most assists against a Division I opponent since dishing out 23 helpers against CCSU on February 7, 2019. The Frankies had 21 assists against Xavier earlier this year.

This game marked the first time since an 81-69 win at Chicago State on February 8, 2025, that Saint Francis won a game that did not go into overtime or that was decided by three points or less.

The Red Flash improved to 5-0 in the Friday game after MLK Day in the last five years.

NEXT ON TAP
Due to the approaching weather, Saint Francis and New Haven have postponed their scheduled contest for Sunday. Makeup date to be announced. With this announcement, the Red Flash will return to action when it tangles with Chicago State in Chicago on January 29. Game time is 7 p.m. Read Full Article