St. Francis rallies to beat Sacred Heart 79-78

Jan 27, 2019, 02:09 am

LORETTO, Pa. -- Keith Braxton scored 15 points to lead six players in double figures and he added eight rebounds and eight assists as St. Francis (PA) rallied for a 79-78 victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday night.

St. Francis trailed 70-66 after Koreem Ozier's layup with 3:07 remaining, but Isaiah Blackmon had a layup and Andre Wolford hit a go-ahead 3-pointer as the Red Flash (8-11, 4-4 Northeast Conference) used a late 13-2 run to get the victory. Jamaal King had 14 points, Blackmon scored 13 and Wolford 12 for St. Francis. Myles Thompson added 11 points off the bench and Randall Gaskins Jr. scored 10.

E.J. Anosike had 12 points in the first half to guide the Pioneers (8-14, 4-5) to a 42-28 lead at intermission. Wolford hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to give St. Francis a 71-70 lead with 2:18 remaining. It was their first lead since 5-4. Blackmon hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to up the lead to 79-72 before Aaron Clarke hit two 3-pointers in the final eight seconds for Sacred Heart.

Freshman Koreem Ozier topped the Pioneers with 20 points. Jare'l Spellman finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots and Anoske scored 15.

St. Francis has won five straight against the Pioneers and 10 of the last 11.