WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> The way Saint Francis has won its last five games dating back to last season's postseason, of course, it would be a dramatic finish. Ralph Martino, Jr. gave the Red Flash the lead for good on two free throws with 91 seconds left, and then Saint Francis had to have one more defensive stand to hold on to a 71-69 win at Wagner in NEC men's basketball action on Thursday.
>> Ahmad Harrison paced the Red Flash with 16 points, while Chris Moncrief added 15 points and Martino had 10 points off the bench.
>> The Red Flash has won its last five Division I games by three points or less. After winning its last four by three points, Thursday was the first time it was by a two-point margin.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
In a rematch of last year's NEC Quarterfinals, the go-ahead points were once again decided at the free-throw line. Last year, it was in the waning seconds of the game with three charity tosses, but Martino gave the Frankies the lead for good with 91 seconds on the clock in the 2025-26 edition. Skylar Wicks increased the lead to four points on a dunk with 53 seconds left.
After a Seahawks basket and a Saint Francis missed shot, Wagner had the ball with four seconds left with a chance to tie or even win the game. Nick Jones drove down the court and right down the center of the lane. Gestin Liberis stood his ground, and Jones' shot attempt did not fall. Martino came down with the rebound as time expired to secure the second straight Red Flash win.
FLASH MOMENTS
Trailing 60-53 with 7:12 remaining, the Frankies went on an 18-8 run to take the lead for good. Seven different Flash players scored in this spurt, with Liberis and
Cam Tweedy registering four points, while Harrison, Moncrief, Martino Payne, and Wicks each had a pair of points.
Early in the game, with Wagner holding a 5-2 margin, Harrison powered a 12-7 run with five points.
Trailing 21-18 with 8:23 on the first half clock, Martino and
Paris Papadatos fueled a 21-14 spurt to give Saint Francis a 39-35 lead with 32 seconds left until halftime as the Red Flash went into the locker room with its second lead at the break, 39-37.
FLASH NUGGETS
Harrison's 16 points are the second-most points he has scored this season and marked the second time he has posted back-to-back 10+ point games in a Red Flash uniform. The senior has registered double figures in points in three of his last four games and is averaging 12.0 points per game in that span.
Moncrief notched a season-high 15 points after he recorded 14 points against FDU on January 2. He posted four straight games in double figures last season. Saint Francis improved to 12-11 with Moncrief as a starter and 7-3 in the last 10 regular-season league games.
Martino recorded his third 10+ point game in his last eight games, and his first on the road. The sophomore set a new career high with three steals and matched his career best with four assists.
Papadatos, who hit the buzzer beater against the Knights and was the No. 9 play on SportsCenter Top-10, added seven points.
Wicks posted six points, nine rebounds, and a career-high seven assists. The redshirt senior had a previous best of six helpers twice in his career, including against Xavier on December 1.
Head coach
Luke McConnell became the first Saint Francis head coach to win his NEC road debut.
Coming into the game, Saint Francis started the NEC slate 1-1 for the 20th time. Thursday marked the seventh time the Red Flash played Wagner in the third game of the year after splitting the first two contests. Saint Francis improved to 7-0 against the Seahawks in those contests.
The Loretto program has won five of its last six regular-season games dating back to last season, and eight of its seven tilts against NEC opponents if you count the NEC Tournament in 2024-25.
NEXT ON TAP
The NEC Tournament redux schedule continues at LIU on Saturday. Game time is 4 p.m. The two teams met in the NEC Semifinals last season, with the Red Flash defeating the Sharks 71-68.
