WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>>  LIU closed the game on a 9-2 run and scored the decisive points with 2.8 seconds left to defeat Saint Francis 91-89 in NEC men's basketball action on Thursday. 
>> Skylar Wicks paced the Red Flash with 25 points, while Victor Payne added a career-high 23 points.
>> Chris Moncrief (11 points), Gestin Liberis (10 points), and Paris Papadatos (10 points) also scored double figures.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Liberis gave Saint Francis an 87-82 lead on two free throws with 3:24 left. The redshirt junior added two free throws with 99 seconds left for an 89-87 advantage. 

After Liberis gave the Red Flash the five-point lead, Saint Francis had one missed field goal and four turnovers over the next three minutes and 12 seconds to allow the Sharks to tie the game at 89 with 12.5 seconds left. 

Moncrief inbounded the ball to Wicks, who drove down the court and had a good look at a jumper with seven seconds left, but it bounced in and out. Liberis tried a putback that also did not fall, and LIU grabbed the rebound  and was fouled with 2.8 seconds left. The Sharks made both free throws to take the lead. The Red Flash got the ball inbounded, but had it stolen as time expired.

FLASH QUOTES
"I was proud of our effort. We had three good days of preparation. Part of playing basketball this time of year comes down to making winning plays in crunch time, and at the end of the day, we did not do a good enough job handling the pressure. They made a couple of great plays, and time ran out on us at the end." - head coach Luke McConnell on the game

"Fans got a great game. It's why you coach the game and why you play, so you can play meaningful basketball late in the season. We have to learn from it and not dwell on it." - more from McConnell on the game 

"It's a playoff game, and it's a big game because it's our next game. It's our last home game this year in this arena. We hope that we can get a big crowd to honor our seniors the best we can." - McConnell on the next game against Wagner. The Seahawks defeated Mercyhurst 83-80 in overtime to move a half game ahead of Saint Francis

FLASH MOMENTS 
Payne powered an 18-4 run with five points to give Saint Francis a 65-58 lead with 12:15 left. Wicks capped the spurt with a trey to give the Red Flash a seven-point advantage. 

Fueled by 10 points by Wicks and five by Payne, the Frankies went on a 16-6 run to take an 85-78 lead with 4:14 left. 

At the end of the first half, Payne and Wicks both hit treys, including Wicks at the halftime buzzer for a 6-1 run. 

FLASH NUGGETS
Coming off a career-high 33 points, Wicks posted his second-straight 20-point game for the second time this season and third time in his career after he registered four-straight 20-point games at Incarnate Word in 2023-24. He has 11 20-point performances this season and 18 in his career. The redshirt senior shot 9-for-16 from the floor, 4 of 5 from behind the arc, and 3 of 4 from the free throw line.

Payne registered his first career 20-point game after connecting on 7 of 11 shots from the floor, 3 of 5 from behind the arc, and 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. The sophomore's previous best was 15 points, which he reached three times this season, including at Le Moyne on February 7.

It marked the first time two Red Flash players reached 20 points in a game since Riley Parker scored 23 points and Bobby Rosenberger III had 21 points against Lehigh on November 26, 2024. It was also the first time in NEC play that two players reached 20 points, since Josh Cohen scored 31 and Maxwell Land had 24 against FDU on February 23, 2023.

It was also the second time this season the Frankies had five players score double figures after five players recorded 10 points against CCSU on January 17.

Moncrief scored double figures for the seventh time this season and the 16th time in his career. Liberis reached double digits for the third time in the last four games, and the sixth time this season. Papadatos is averaging 8.5 points per game in his last two contests and posted double figures for the first time since he had 15 points at Radford on December 7.

NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action on Saturday against Wagner in the final regular-season home game of 2025-26. Game time is 7 p.m. Prior to the game, the Red Flash will honor seniors Moncrief, Liberis, Wicks, Ahmad Harrison, Zion Russell, KJ Swain, Jr., Cam Tweedy, and graduate assistant John McKeown.  Read Full Article