WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis falls 66-59 at FDU to end a four-game road trip in NEC men's basketball action on Thursday.Â
>> Chris Moncrief paced four Red Flash players in double figures with 14 points, while Gestin Liberis (13 points), Skylar Wicks (11 points), and Ahmad Harrison (10 points) also reached double figures.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
The last time these two teams met, Paris Papadatos hit a buzzer-beater to give Saint Francis an 85-82 victory at DeGol Arena on January 4. The Knights had a big run at the end of the game to ensure there were no heroics on Thursday.
After the Red Flash took a 42-38 edge, FDU went on an 18-5 run to take the lead they would not relinquish. Saint Francis cut it to four points with 3:40 left, but could not get any closer the rest of the way.
FLASH MOMENTSÂ
The Red Flash started the second half on a 17-7 run to take its first lead of the night at 42-38 with 14:09 left in the second half. Moncrief and Liberis powered the spurt with five points each.
Trailing 16-4, the Red Flash went on a 14-5 run to cut the margin to 21-18 with 5:19 left in the first half.
Zion Russell powered the surge with five points while Moncrief added four points.Â
Saint Francis then closed the half by scoring six of the last eight points to go into the locker room trailing 29-25. Harrison, Moncrief, and Wicks each had two points in the final two minutes and 12 seconds of the first frame.
FLASH NUGGETS
Moncrief led the Red Flash in scoring for the second time in his last three games. In the six games the senior has scored double figures, he has posted at least 14 points each time, including both times against the Knights.
Liberis registered his second straight 10+ point performance after scoring a career-high 17 points at Chicago State on Monday. Dating back to that game against the Cougars, he made 12 straight free throws and is 13-for-15 at the charity stripe in the last two contests. It was the first time he had scored 10+ points in consecutive games since at Merrimack and Stonehill on February 22 and 24, 2024.
Wicks has reached double figures in his last eight games and is averaging 16.8 points per game in that span. Harrison has scored double figures in three straight games for the first time in his Red Flash career, and he is averaging 13.0 points per game in that span.
Russell had scored double figures in five straight games for the second time this season. Both times, he has registered nine points when attempting to stretch the streak to six games.
The game at FDU marked the end of an eight-day, four-game road trip that covered four states and 1,910 miles.
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action when it hosts Mercyhurst on Saturday. Tipoff is 2 p.m. Prior to the game, Saint Francis will retire the jerseys of Joe Anderson and Mike Iuzzolino in honor of the 35th Anniversary of the 1991 NEC Tournament title. The pregame ceremony will take place at 1:40 p.m.
