After 34 years, the Saint Francis men’s basketball team will return to March Madness after defeating top-seed Central Connecticut State, 46-43, in the Northeast Conference championship game on Tuesday night in New Britain, Connecticut.
The Red Flash, the No. 3 seed, won three straight NEC Tournament games by three points each to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the Big Dance. Their incredible late-season run, however, started three games before the postseason tournament began.
SFU won three straight overtime games to close the regular season, posting OT wins over LeMoyne, FDU and Chicago State to secure the No. 3 seed and a home game in the first round of the NEC Tournament.
Following a 58-55 home victory over defending NEC champion Wagner in the quarterfinals at the Stokes Center on March 5, SFU squared off against LIU in the semis in Brooklyn on March 8.
The Flash fell behind by 15 at halftime against the second-seeded Sharks. SFU would push through perhaps its biggest moment of adversity all season, however, outscoring LIU, 48-30, in the second half and clinching the game on three clutch free throws by NEC Rookie-of-the-Year Juan Cranford with one second remaining in a 71-68 victory.
Entering the league’s championship game, few gave SFU much of a chance against Central Connecticut, which was described by many as the best NEC basketball team in many years.
The Blue Devils entered the game with an NCAA Division I-best 14-game winning streak. CCSU had defeated Saint Francis by double digits in the two teams’ regular-season match-ups.
The Red Flash, however, turned in their best defensive game of the year in the championship game victory.
SFU forced the Blue Devils to shoot 30 percent from the field and commit 16 turnovers on the night in the 46-43 NCAA Tournament ticket-punching win.
Head coach Rob Krimmel’s team finished the night at just 31 percent shooting from the field and 19 percent from three-point range, but the team’s defensive effort propelled the 2024-25 Red Flash to the title.
SFU was also clutch in the final moments yet again.
With the game tied at 43 after Joe Ostrowsky made a layup for the Blue Devils, SFU sophomore Daemar Kelly sank a midrange jumper with nine seconds remaining to put the Flash up by two.
Junior Chris Moncrief then made one of two free throws and a desperation halfcourt heave by heavily favored CCSU came off the back of the rim.
Cranford was named NEC Tournament MVP after scoring 14 points in the win. SFU junior point guard Riley Parker also landed a spot on the all-tournament team.
Saint Francis (16-17) becomes just the 20th team to make the NCAA Tournament with a losing record since the field expanded in 1985.
The Flash will find out who and where they play in the Big Dance on Sunday.
