A strong first half performance allowed the Terriers to take an 11-point lead into the halftime break as they were on top, 44-33, after the first 20 minutes of action. Graduate guard/forward Travis Atson was the driving force behind the Terriers' first half success as he scored 16 of his 18 points in the frame and shot a blistering 7-of-8 from the field, which included going 2-of-2 from behind the arc.
Early in the first half, St. Francis went on a 12-0 run, which allowed it to take a nine-point lead, 22-13, with 10:54 left to play in the frame. The run forced the Red Flash to take a 30-second timeout. Over the next five minutes of the half, Saint Francis (PA) cut into the early Terrier lead and got within three points, 31-28, with 5:01 to go in the stanza. From that point forward, the Terriers extended their lead to as many as 12, and ended up taking an 11-point advantage into halftime.
Hot shooting fueled the Terriers' first half lead as they shot 16-of-32 (50.0%) from the field, 5-of-7 from three (71.4%), and 7-of-8 (87.5%) from the free-throw line. Contributions from graduate guard Unique McLean, junior forward Vuk Stevanic, and senior guard Chauncey Hawkins aided St. Francis over the first half of the game.
The Terriers picked up where they left off when the second half began as they added to their lead over the first 11 minutes of the frame. With 9:19 to play in the game, St. Francis took its largest lead of the night, 64-48, after a bucket by junior forward David Muenkat. After St. Francis went up by 16, the Red Flash responded going on a 19-6 run down the stretch and got within three, 70-67, with 1:43 to play.
The score remained 70-67 as the Red Flash had a chance to tie the game with six seconds to play. Ramiir Dixon-Conover missed a three-pointer, which was tightly contested by Terriers' sophomore guard Rob Higgins with six seconds to play. Hawkins skied for the rebound, pulled it down, and dribbled it out to secure the fifth victory of the season for the Terriers.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 70 | Saint Francis (PA) – 67
- Atson finished the game with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from three-point range. The Brooklyn native scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half of play as he went 7-of-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from behind the arc. He grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists in 25 minutes of play. It was the eighth time this season that Atson scored in double figures.
- Hawkins made his return to the court tonight for the Terriers and recorded 12 points, four assists, four rebounds, and three steals. He shot 4-of-12 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. It was the seventh time this season that he scored in double figures and the eighth time this season that he dished our four or more assists in a game. The three steals tied a season-high, which was the third time this season that he had as many as three steals in a game. He moved into 20th-place on the Terriers' all-time scoring list as he now has 1,134 career points, which moved him past Hank Daubenschmidt. Tonight's game was the first game that Hawkins came off the bench since March 21, 2019, at Hampton.
- McLean registered 11 points and five rebounds in 34 minutes of play. He shot 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range. It was the sixth time this season that he scored in double-digits.
- Muenkat had another strong game for the Terriers as he finished with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench. The forward scored all nine of his points in the second half for the Terriers.
- As a team, the Terriers shot 42.4 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three, and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line.
- The Terriers outscored the Red Flash off turnovers, 24-8. The Terriers' bench outscored the Red Flash's 31-11.
The Terriers wrap up the two-game series with Saint Francis (PA) tomorrow, Friday, February 12, at 4 p.m. The game will broadcast on NECFrontRow.com.