MOUNT ST. MARY'S (1-3, 0-0 NEC) vs. SAINT FRANCIS U (1-3, 0-0 NEC)
Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 7:00 p.m.
Knott Arena, Emmitsburg, Md.

WATCH:  NEC Front Row  | LIVESTATS | GAME NOTES

Mount St. Mary's opens Northeast Conference play on Tuesday night when Saint Francis U visits Knott Arena for a 7:00 p.m. matchup.  Due to state and local health guidelines, spectators will not be permitted, but fans can watch the action on NEC Front Row with Adam Pohl calling the action.

MOUNT UPDATE:  The Mount fell to 1-3 on the season with a 60-42 loss at VCU on Saturday afternoon.  Dakota Leffew led the Mount with 14 points while Nana Opoku added seven points and six boards.  Freshman Josh Reaves made his first collegiate start in place of the injured Jalen Gibbs.  The Mount jumped out to a 10-6 lead on the strength of a 9-0 run early in the first half.  Leffew keyed the run with back-to-back three-pointers.  The Mount led 12-8 before VCU rattled off 17 consecutive points to take the lead.  The Rams extended the lead to 37-20 at the break and led by double figures the rest of the way.
 
ABOUT THE RED FLASH:  After opening the season with an 80-70 win at Pittsburgh, the Red Flash have dropped three in a row to fall to 1-3 on the season.  All three losses were against tough competition as Saint Francis lost to UMBC at home, at No. 15 Virginia and at Liberty.  In their most recent outing, Saint Francis fell to Liberty, 78-62, on December 3.  Senior Mark Flagg scored 13 points to lead three Red Flash players in double figures, but Liberty heated up after a slow start from three to earn the win.  Redshirt junior Tyler Stewart matched his season high with 12 points off the bench and junior Myles Thompson chipped in 12 points for the Red Flash. Ramiir Dixon-Conover, who has missed the past two games due to injury, leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game.  Mark Flagg, the NEC's Player of the Week for the first week of the year, is averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.  Myles Thompson is also in double figures at 10.0 points per game.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES:  Mount St. Mary's holds a 49-34 lead in the all-time series that began in 1916.  The Red Flash have won the past four meetings between the two teams.  Last year, the Red Flash earned a sweep of the season series, winning 70-55 in Emmitsburg and 75-62 in Loretto.  The Mountaineers had posted a 24-3 record over the previous 27 meetings between the two teams before the current four-game win streak for the Red Flash.
 
THE MOUNT AND NEC OPENERS:  The Mount has lost its past three Northeast Conference openers, and is 12-19 all-time in the first NEC game of the season since joining the league in 1989-90.  The Mount is 8-4 at home in NEC openers and 4-15 on the road.  This is the second consecutive season the Mount has opened NEC play at Knott Arena.  The Mountaineers are just 3-9 over its past 11 NEC openers.  The Mount's last NEC opening win was a 67-65 victory at LIU Brooklyn on a Chris Wray lay-up at the buzzer on Dec. 29, 2016.  The Mount is 0-2 in NEC openers against Saint Francis U.  The Mount's first-ever NEC game was a 74-72 loss at Saint Francis U on Dec. 4, 1989.  Head coach Dan Engelstad's first NEC game was an 80-69 loss at Saint Francis U on Jan. 3, 2019.
 
UP NEXT:  The Mount hosts UMBC on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Knott Arena.  Due to state and local health guidelines, spectators will not be permitted, but fans can watch the action on NEC Front Row with Adam Pohl calling the action.