LIU  (18-9, 12-2 NEC) at Saint Francis (6-20, 4-9 NEC)
Date | Time	Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Location	Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Arenna
Television	NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh (pxp), Eric Taylor (analyst)
Live Stats	Sidearm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis | LIU
Stats	Saint Francis | LIU | NEC
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	Sr.	9.1	2.4	48.1	Scored season-high 22 points at Mercyhurst
G	F	Skylar Wicks	6-6	190	R-Sr.	18.1	7.1	40.8	Career-high 33 points against Mercyhurst on Feb. 14
G	15	Victor Payne	6-4	190	So.	6.6	3.5	42.5	Scored 10 points in first meeting with Sharks
F	21	Gestin Liberis	6-9	225	R-Jr.	6.3	4.7	52.4	Averaging 10.4 ppg in month of February
G	55	Ahmad Harrison	6-1	190	Sr.	9.3	2.2	38.8	10+ points in four straight tilts
Top Players Off the Bench
Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	FG%	Note
G	1	KJ Swain, Jr.	6-1	165	R-Sr.	1.9	0.8	27.6	Saw minutes at Chicago State
G	2	Zion Russell	6-2	185	R-Sr.	12.5	4.0	41.7	Leads NEC in steals in league play
G	3	Brandon Russell	6-5	185	Fr.	2.4	1.2	24.4	Had three assists at Chicago State
G/F	4	Ralph Martino, Jr.	6-6	180	So.	6.7	2.4	55.4	Has not played in last seven tilts
G	7	Paris Papadatos	6-4	185	Fr.	4.5	1.1	38.7	Buzzer beater vs FDU was No. 9 on #SCTop10
F	20	Cam Tweedy	6-6	240	R-Sr.	3.9	2.5	55.0	11 points, 11 rebounds at Chicago State

SELECT GAME NOTES VS. LIU (FULL GAME NOTES PDF) 

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Thursday's game between Saint Francis and LIU marks the 93rd meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1963-64 season. The Red Flash holds a 30-16 advantage at home against the Sharks and has won all three games at DeGol Arena against LIU head coach Rod Strickland. Will it end the way that a certain head coach from Sacred Heart ended, too?  
• The game against the old Blackbirds will be a blackout as Saint Francis will wear its black jerseys for the first time at home this season. Fans are encouraged to also wear black for the game.
• The Red Flash is looking for its first win in its new, redesigned black jerseys. The last time Saint Francis won in the black jerseys was a 74-64 win in the NEC Semifinals against LIU in Brooklyn on March 8, 2025. The squad tried its luck with the new black jerseys against the Sharks in the 2025-26 iteration, but fell 69-63, in Brooklyn on January 10.
• #FashionNote: Saint Francis has six wins this season. Three wins have been with the Red Flash wearing its home white jerseys, and three have come wearing red, including three of the four in NEC play.
• Last year, the Red Flash was 5-8 coming off a tough New England road trip with three games left in the 16-game schedule, and were playing in Syracuse at Le Moyne. This year, it's an 18-game schedule, and the Frankies are 4-9 with five to play. Saint Francis rolled off three-straight wins in the regular season in 2024-25 to finish 8-8 and earn the fourth seed in the NEC Tournament. Can the Frankies make a similar run to end the season? Saint Francis currently sits in the No. 7 position, a half game ahead of both Wagner and Chicago State because the Red Flash has not made up the game against New Haven yet.
• With five games left, you hate to say that this is a weekend that could decide the fate of the Flash, but it has big implications. LIU currently sits in first place, and its magic number to win the regular-season title is two. A win against the Sharks would be a secret lottery ticket because after the head-to-head tiebreaker, the next tiebreaker is winning percentage against the No. 1 team, and down until it's broken. Saint Francis split its season series with FDU and Chicago State, has a win against Wagner, Stonehill, and a loss against New Haven, with one tilt left against each of those teams, so if those series also end in a split and the Red Flash is the only one in that group with a Shark win, it would be the higher seed if it ended tied. Remember, New Haven is not eligible for the postseason, but are accounted for in any tiebreaker.
• The game on Saturday against Wagner is also a big one because if Saint Francis wins on Saturday, it would win the season series and would not come down to a who did you beat scenario if the two teams ended tied. If the Seahawks win on Saturday, they currently hold the tiebreaker with a win over Le Moyne, so Saturday's game is also pivotal.
• What is the best Saint Francis could finish, you ask? The Red Flash could take the last hosting spot in the NEC Tournament if it wins out, Mercyhurst loses out, and FDU splits (but does not beat LIU in the last game of the season), Stonehill loses at least one. In this scenario, the Red Flash would finish 9-9, the Knights and Skyhawks would also finish 9-9, and the Lakers would finish 8-10. The Red Flash would win this three-way tiebreaker because FDU, Stonehill, and Saint Francis would have each split the season series, so then it would be who did you beat, and the Red Flash would have to beat LIU on Thursday to win out. Mercyhurst swept the season series with Saint Francis, so the Red Flash cannot host and be tied with Mercyhurst, so if Mercyhurst wins one game, there is no chance for Saint Francis to finish as the No. 4 seed.
• Thursday's guest analyst is Hall of Famer Eric Taylor, who registered a career-high 23 rebounds against LIU on January 4, 1997, in Brooklyn at the old Paramount Theatre. He had a career-best 30 points at Robert Morris 29 years ago on February 13, 1997.
• Saint Francis University Criminal Justice Club is collecting monetary donations or new teddy bears for their annual "Bears for Care" Drive during the game on Thursday. The Bears will then be taken around and given to local law enforcement agencies to keep on hand for children involved in emergency situations. There will be a special halftime bear toss. The club will also do this for the women's basketball home game against Stonehill on Thursday, February 26. 

AN SFU WIN WOULD...
• Be the fourth consecutive win against the Shark at home
• Be the first win in the new designed black jerseys, and the first victory in a black jersey since defeating LIU in the NEC Semifinals on March 8, 2025
• End a six-game losing streak, its longest since an eight-game losing streak in 2012-13
• Be the first win in the month of February
• Improve to 4-1 against the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan area on this date
• Give the team good vibes for Senior Day on Saturday
• Be the 1,194th win in NCAA team history

ABOUT THE SHARKS
• LIU comes into the contest 18-9 overall and 12-2 in NEC play after defeating Wagner 83-65 on Monday. The game was rescheduled due to the snowstorm that hit the East Coast the weekend of January 24. Just as Saint Francis went through last week, the game on Thursday will be the Sharks' fourth in eight days.
• Jamal Fuller paced LIU with 20 points, while Malachi Davis added 19 points, Greg Gordon 13 points, and Jomo Goings 11 points.
• Fuller leads the Sharks with 15.9 points per game, while Davis is second on the team with 14.6 points per game, and Gordon powers the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and is third on the team with 13.6 points per game.
• Davis shot 9-for-18 for 23 points in the first meeting last season in Brooklyn against the Red Flash, but has 27 total points in his last three games against the Loretto program and is shooting 18.0 percent from the floor (9-for-50), and 17.6 percent from behind the arc (3-for-17) in the last three games against Saint Francis. Fuller, on the other hand, had 10 points in the first meeting last year and has reached 20 points in his last three games, and is averaging 19.8 points per game in the four games against the Red Flash.

LAST TIME WE MET
• A furious second-half attempt by Saint Francis was halted in the final minute against LIU. The Sharks defeated the Red Flash 67-63 on January 10 in Brooklyn.
• Skylar Wicks paced Saint Francis with 21 points. Ralph Martino, Jr. notched a career-high 15 points, and Victor Payne chipped in 10 points. 
• After Wicks cut the margin to 64-63 with a run of 15-6, Martino came up with a defensive rebound to give the Red Flash a chance to take the lead, but the shot did not fall for the Frankies. 
• Jamal Fuller paced the Sharks with 23 points. Greg Gordon added 22 ponts and Caleb Johnson posted 11 points. 
• Saint Francis had a 41-31 lead with 18:57 left in the game, but the Sharks went on a 27-7 run to take a 10-point lead of their own. LIU had five offensive rebounds that led to 10 points during the run and outscored the Frankies 25-4 on second-chance points.

LAST TIME OUT
• Despite a career-high 33 points by Skylar Wicks, Saint Francis dropped a 94-79 decision to Mercyhurst on February 14.
• Wicks shot 11-for-15 in the game, 4 of 5 from behind the arc, and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds and five assists.
• Prior to the game, Saint Francis recognized the 1991 NEC Championship team with the jersey retirement of Joe Anderson (No. 44) and Mike Iuzzolino (No. 42), who led the Red Flash to the university's first NEC title.
• Zion Russell (11 points) and Ahmad Harrison (10 points) also scored double figures for Saint Francis.

TRENDING UP
• Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks has scored double figures in his last eight games and is averaging 21.0 points per game in that stretch, with five games with at least 19 points, including two games over 27 points and a career-high 33 points in his last home game against Mercyhurst on February 14. The nine-time NEC Prime Performer has produced back-to-back 20-point games once this season, but both were on the road: at Temple on December 14 and at No. 23 Florida on December 17.
• Wicks became the first player since Josh Cohen scored 31 against FDU on February 23, 2023, to cross 30 points in a game. Wicks looks to be the first player to score 30 points in back-to-back games since Cohen had 40 points at Hawai'i on December 11, 2023, and at 30 points at No. 23 Miami on December 17, 2023. If Wicks can turn the trick against LIU, he would be the first player and only the second player to score 30 points in back-to-back games at DeGol Arena since Mike Iuzzolino accomplished the feat with 31 points against Pittsburgh on December 1, 1990, and 32 points against Liberty two days later. Cohen narrowly missed having consecutive 30-point games in Loretto after finishing the next game after his FDU performance with 29 points against St. Francis Brooklyn on February 25, 2023. How rare is it to back up a 30-point performance with another one? The only other player besides Cohen and Iuzzolino dating back to 1980 to reach this feat is Darshan Luckey, who had 32 points at Quinnipiac on February 5, 2005, and 30 at home against Mount St. Mary's on February 7, 2005. Knowing that coming into Thursday, only three players have turned the trick, and despite not completely knowing the records between 1955 and 1980, you have to marvel at what Maurice Stokes accomplished in his final two seasons at Saint Francis. Stokes had back-to-back 30-point games once as a junior and then turned the trick twice in his senior campaign with 30 points against Lawrence Tech (February 5, 1955) and against Saint Bonaventure (February 9, 1955) and then finished his Red Flash career with a then program-record 43 points against Dayton on March 17, 1955 and 31 points against Cincinnati on March 19, 1955 in the National Invitation Tournament. The contests against Lawrence Tech and Saint Bonaventure were at home. 
• Redshirt senior Zion Russell leads the NEC in steals in league play. He has turned up the heat with seven multiple steals game since the New Year, with four games with at least three steals and a career-high four steals against New Haven on January 31. The redshirt senior has recorded a theft in 20 of the 23 games he has played. Russell has also been on a hot streak, scoring too, reaching double figures in 11 of his last 13 games, with two five-game streaks of 10+ points, broken up by a nine-point game each time. Did he start a new run with 11 points against Mercyhurst in his last game?
• Senior Ahmad Harrison has posted double figures in four-straight games for the first time in his Red Flash career, and he is averaging 12.3 points per game in that stretch. It is the most he has recorded at the Division I level, while he finished his career at Notre Dame University of Maryland with 12-straight double-figure point games.
• Redshirt junior Gestin Liberis has increased his scoring each month and is currently averaging 10.6 points per game in the month of January after averaging 4.7 ppg in November, 6.2 ppg in December, and 6.4 ppg in the month of January. He is averaging 12.7 points per game in his last three games, in part due to a career-high 17 points at Chicago State on February 9.

LEAGUE LEADERS
• Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks ranks second in scoring (18.1 ppg), third in defensive rebounds (5.48 rpg), fourth in 3-pointers made (2.39 pg), fourth in minutes played (33.35 mpg), fifth in rebounding (7.1 rpg), seventh in steals (1.52 spg), and seventh in 3-point  percentage (38.2). The redshirt senior is second in 3-pointers made (2.50 pg) in NEC games.
• Wicks ranks 80th in defensive rebounds, and 85th in scoring in NCAA Division I. 
• Redshirt senior Zion Russell ranks third in steals (1.70 spg), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3), ninth in assists (2.78 apg), and 15th in scoring (12.5 ppg). Russell leads in steals (2.30 spg) and is second in 3-point field goal percentage (45.7) in league games.
• Senior Ahmad Harrison is ninth in steals (1.38 spg). Harrison is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.30) in league games. 
• Sophomore Victor Payne ranks eighth in 3-point percentage (37.9). Redshirt junior Gestin Liberis is eighth in offensive rebounds (2.12).
• Saint Francis ranks second in 3-pointers made (8.04 pg), third in steals (7.62 spg), third in turnover margin (+0.46), third in assist to turnover ratio (1.08), fourth in assists (13.77 apg), fifth in scoring offense (71.4 ppg), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (34.0), and fifth in offensive rebounds (10.42 rpg). In NEC games, the Red Flash leads the league in scoring (74.3 ppg), and 3-pointers made (8.62 pg), and is second 3-point field goal percentage (36.5), assists (14.00) and steals (7.38 spg).

IN THE LO'
• Saint Francis is 5-6 at DeGol Arena, including 3-4 in NEC play at home in 2025-26.
• The Red Flash are averaging 76.9 points per game, and are allowing 74.0 points per game. The Red Flash was coming off back-to-back wins against Stonehill (W, 63-61, January 17) and Chicago State (W, 81-60, January 23) before falling in its last two home games.
• Saint Francis has three players averaging double figures at home: Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks (17.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg), redshirt senior Zion Russell (13.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg), and senior Ahmad Harrison (10.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg). 
• Wicks has scored double figures in eight of the nine games he has played at home, with three 20-point games and two double-doubles. He has posted double figures in his last six home games and is averaging 19.0 points per game in that span, including scoring 20 points twice, and a career-high 33 points in his last game against Mercyhurst on February 14.
• Russell has reached double figures in eight of the 10 games at DeGol Arena. He notched a career-high 23 points against Mount St. Mary's on November 11 in his Loretto debut. 
• Harrison has seven 10+ point games in the Lo' with three games of at least 16 points in his last four tilts in the 814. 
• Senior Chris Moncrief has three double-figure point performances in his last six games at home, with a DeGol Arena career-high 18 points against Chicago State on January 23. 
•  Redshirt junior Gestin Liberis (two games), sophomore Ralph Martino, Jr. (two games), junior Trey Weiand (one game), and freshman Paris Papadatos (one game) have also posted a 10-point game at home this season.
• With the Red Flash set to host its final three games over the next eight days, the team hopes to have deja vu all over again after Saint Francis won its final three games of the regular season and five games overall to finish 2024-25 with a 10-4 record at DeGol Arena. 

ON THIS DATE
• Saint Francis is 6-8 on this date, 5-1 at DeGol Arena, and 3-3 in NEC play. This will be the second time Saint Francis and LIU have played on this date, but the first in Loretto, after the Blackbirds defeated the Flash 85-71 in the third meeting at the Steinberg Wellness Center on this date in 2009. Current associate head coach Devin Sweetney had 35 points in the game.
• The Red Flash has defeated FDU twice on this date, including a 63-57 win at home in 2004.  Jason Osbourne tallied 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Rashaan Benton added 13 points, Darshan Luckey had 11 points, and Darnell Evans had 10 points. Saint Francis also won four of its last five games to finish 10-8 in NEC play, starting with this contest against the Knights. 
• The last win on this date was also against FDU, but in Hackensack, a 77-65 win in 2011. Umar Shannon powered the Red Flash with 27 points, while Chris Johnson (11 points) and Scott Eatherton (10 points) also had double figures. 
FUN FACTS...
• Saint Francis is 3-1 against the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan area on this date. Along with the two games against FDU and the loss to LIU, Saint Francis defeated Saint Francis Brooklyn 89-74 on this date in 1994. Deon George led the way with 23 points against the Terriers.