BROOKLYN, NY - After an eight-day holiday break, the St. Francis Brooklyn men's basketball team returns to the floor on Saturday afternoon as the Terriers kick off the Northeast Conference (NEC) schedule against Central Connecticut State.
St. Francis (6-6, 0-0 NEC) will face the Blue Devils (2-12, 0-0 NEC) on New Year's Eve for the second year in a row.
St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers vs. Central Connecticut State Blue Devils
Location: New Britain, Conn. | Detrick Gymnasium
Date: Dec. 31
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: CCSUBlueDevils.com
Talking Terriers
- St. Francis rolls into NEC play at an even 6-6; the first time the Terriers have started the season at an even .500 since the 2019-20 season. Head coach Glenn Braica's Terriers defeated Medgar Evers, 89-66, on Dec. 22 to get their sixth win of the year.
- Saturday's match-up will be the fifth time the program has competed on the final day of the calendar year; coming in with a 2-2 all-time record on New Year's Eve. This is the second year in a row CCSU and St. Francis will play in the Dec. 31 tilt.
- Larry Moreno comes into the contest after being named an NEC Prime Performer for the third time this season. Moreno logged a season high scoring performance against Medgar Evers with 20 points (7-13 FG, 3-7 3PT). He currently averages 10.4 points per game (ppg) through the first twelve games of the season.
- The Terriers' leading scorer this season, Rob Higgins, looks to continue climbing the ranks on the St. Francis all-time scoring list against CCSU. Higgins became the 34th 1,000 point scorer in program history in the win over Medgar Evers. His current total of 1,007 places him 33rd on the list.
Scouting the Opposition
- Central Connecticut kicked off its NEC schedule on Thursday with a trip to Saint Francis (PA). CCSU fell in Loretto, 72-80, despite a 20-point performance from Kellen Amos. The Blue Devils were unable to hold off a hot-shooting (52.1%) Red Flash in the second half after battling to a halftime lead.
- The Blue Devils will look to rebound from a tough, 14-game non-conference schedule. Central Connecticut picked up their first victories of the season in tough contests against Dartmouth and Manhattan in December.
- CCSU is led this season by Binghamton transfer Kellen Amos (13.6 ppg) and preseason All-Conference selection Nigel Scantlebury (10.5 ppg)
The Terriers look to close out 2022 with a win on New Year's Eve. Catch all the action from Derrick Gymnasium on NEC Front Row, beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
