The men’s basketball team dropped its home-opener, 74-66, on Nov. 11 against defending MAAC champion Mount Saint Mary’s at the Stokes Center.
The contest went back and forth the whole game. Early in the first half, the Red Flash looked like they were going to give first-year SFU head coach Luke McConnell his first coaching victory. SFU grabbed an 8-2 lead, but the Mountaineers had a spark, and that spark wouldn’t blow out.
Mount St. Mary’s held a 43-32 lead before SFU went on a 11-4 run to cut the deficit to four points (47-43) with 16:32 remaining in the second half.
After the Mount pulled away again, Saint Francis went on a 7-2 run to again cut the deficit to four (59-55) with 8:05 remaining in the game.
MSM guard Patrick Haigh – whose father, Joe Haigh, served as the Red Flash women’s basketball head coach for seven seasons – led the Mountaineers with 15 points. All of Haigh’s point came on three-pointers, including two key treys that sparked the Mount in the first half.
SFU’s Zion Russell had a career-high 23 points and Skylar Wicks recorded his first double-double in an SFU uniform with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Sophomore Victor Payne also had a strong game for the Flash with seven points and four rebounds. He also played well defensively in the loss.
“We are taking steps every time we play and getting better,” said McConnell.
“As a competitor, it’s tough, but as a coach, you have to understand the process,” he added. “We will keep pushing and coaching these guys to get better.”
The Flash return to action at Lehigh on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
