LORETTO — Same story, different story line.
The St. Francis men’s basketball team charged from behind to come within two points of Northeast Conference competitor Long Island University Thursday night at the Stokes Center.
The difference in this scenario was that the Red Flash were coming back from a 25-point deficit. LIU guard Jaytornah Wisseh hit a layup to open the second half to give the New York squad a 47-22 lead.
While they made a good effort, the Red Flash could not catch the Blackbirds, losing 71-61, to fall to 5-17 overall, 3-8 in the Northeast Conference.
“Definitely, it was a tale of two halves,” St. Francis coach Bobby Jones said. “We came out and did not have the same focus to start the game as we did to start the second half. Had we come out in the second half the way we did in the first half, we would have had a much better chance of winning the basketball game.”
The story line was that the Red Flash were pitiful in the first half of a game that could have given them a big lift in earning a postseason berth in the Northeast Conference playoffs. The players realize that their lack of focus created problems for them in this game since both teams were tied for seventh place in the conference as they entered the game.
“If we came out focused, it would have been a different game,” junior guard Cale Nelson said about the lack of effort. “We can’t get in a hole like that again. We can’t afford it.”
After falling behind by 25 points, St. Francis narrowed the lead to two, 61-59, when Chris McFarland hit the back end of a two shot free-throw opportunity with 2:41 left in the game. They got no closer.
In the first half, the Blackbirds hit at a 62 percent average from the field (23-of-50) to build a 45-22 lead. They did that by pushing the ball inside, taking advantage of the foul trouble that St. Francis center Bassirou Dieng found himself in early in the game.
“Going inside (was the key) to building that lead,” LIU coach Jim Ferry said. “Kellem Allen has had an exceptional year for us. I saw what Bobby (Jones) did (when Bassirou) Dieng got two personal fouls. He did not let anyone else guard Allen.”
Allen was 8-of-11 from the field, taking advantage of Dieng’s foul problems to lead the Blackbirds with 19 points.
David Hicks added 12 points for the Blackbirds.
Dieng picked up his second personal foul just one minute and 39 seconds into the game.
Jones said that he “rolled the dice” and let Dieng in the game, but Dieng picked up his fourth personal late in the first half.
Dieng played just 22 minutes in the game.
The Blackbirds, now 12-10 overall, 4-7 in the NEC, had a 35-25 advantage in rebounds.
Both teams shot well from the free-throw line, with LIU hitting 21 of 23 (91 percent) and St. Francis hit 12 of 16 (75 percent).
Dieng led the Red Flash with 16 points, Chris Berry added 12 and Devin Sweetney 10.
St. Francis will host Fairleigh-Dickinson on Saturday.
College
Long Island maroons St. Francis
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