PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) Ollie Jackson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer and two clinching free throws as St. Francis (Pa.) took a 73-68 victory over Rutgers Saturday.
Earl Brown had a game-high 23 for the Red Flash (6-4), who won their third straight after being down by 16 points in the first half. Jackson had 15 points, while Malik Harmon had 17 and Greg Brown 10. Ronnie Drinnon had six points and 16 rebounds.
The Scarlet Knights (6-5), who had won two straight, got 20 points and 12 rebounds from Kadeem Jack. Junior Etou scored 14 points, Bishop Daniels had 12 and Myles Mack added 10 points and eight assists.
With the score tied 66-66, Jackson took a crosscourt pass on the left side and hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to put St. Francis up for good. Daniels made a lay-up and Greg Brown hit two foul shots to make it 71-68.
An offensive goaltending call on Daniels' lay-up attempt was followed by Jackson's foul shots with three seconds left.
The game featured three substantial runs. Rutgers led 37-21 with 5:30 left in the half, when Jack scored 15 points. St. Francis then outscored the Knights 40-11 over the next 15:04 to take a 61-48 lead. During that time Rutgers did not have a two-point basket. The Knights responded with 15-1 run to take a 63-62 lead with 4:28 remaining.
Earl Brown made one of two foul shots to tie it and, after Jack missed for Rutgers, Jackson hit a 3-pointer to put St. Francis up 66-63.
Daniels responded with a three-point play to tie it with 51.3 seconds left. The Red Flash called timeout and then ran off 25 seconds before Jackson hit his go-ahead 3-pointer.
TIP-INS
St. Francis: The Red Flash won consecutive non-conference games on the road for the first time since beating Youngstown State and Morgan State Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2008. ... St. Francis entered the game ranked 13th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.6), while Greg Brown was 11th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.88). ... It was a homecoming for senior guard Stephon Whyatt, who grew up in nearby Jersey City.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights entered the game ranked No. 33 in the nation in strength of schedule, which was second in the Big 10 to Wisconsin (31). ... Mack was in the Top 10 in the Big Ten in steals (second, 2.7 per game), minutes played (third, 35.9) and assists (seventh, 4.4).
MILESTONE MAN
Earl Brown, a senior forward, became the 39th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Brown now has 1,016 after reaching double digits for the 52nd time in his career.
UP NEXT
Rutgers hosts Sacred Heart on Tuesday.
St. Francis is at NJIT on Dec. 30.
