BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – The St. Francis College Brooklyn men's basketball team (10-12, 4-6 NEC) fell to Sacred Heart (14-9, 7-3 NEC), 83-76, on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers picked up their seventh league win of the season as they held off a strong second half comeback effort from the Terriers.
At halftime of the game, the St. Francis men's basketball program retired Al Inniss' (class of 1958) No. 19. Inniss became just the second member of the men's basketball program to have his jersey number retired as he joins fellow legend, Dennis McDermott.
Inniss is one of the most decorated players to ever suit up for the Terriers and was inducted into the St. Francis Athletics Hall of Fame in 1968. He finished his career with 1,503 points (sixth-most all-time) and is the program's leading rebounder with 1,667.
Sacred Heart took a 42-34 lead into the halftime break thanks in large part to a 14-0 run that concluded at the 2:44 mark in the opening frame. Senior forwards
Deniz Celen and
Milija Cosic each scored seven points in the first half as they shot a combined 6-of-10 from the field. Junior guard
Chauncey Hawkins tallied six points, three assists, and three rebounds in the frame.
The Terriers chipped away at the deficit and eventually took an eight-point lead (63-55) of their own. St. Francis outscored Sacred Heart, 29-13, over the first 10:14 of the second half en route to its largest lead of the game. The Pioneers had a comeback of their own in them as they closed the game by outscoring the Terriers, 28-13, over the final 9:23 of play.
Ultimately, the Pioneers struck last in a back and forth game as their final run propelled the team to victory. Freshman guard
Rob Higgins was in the middle of the Terriers' second half surge as he scored 12 of his 14 points in the stanza. Celen added 10 points over the course of the second half prior to fouling out.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 76 | Sacred Heart – 83
- The Terriers had five players score in double figures and were led by Celen who recorded 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Celen finished in double-digits for the 12th time this season and has done so in three out of the Terriers' last four games.
- Hawkins paced the flow of the offense for the Terriers as he compiled 12 points and seven assists. The guard did not commit a turnover in 40 minutes of play and his seven assists tied a career-high. It was the first time this season that the guard finished a game with five-plus assists and zero turnovers.
- Higgins scored 14 points and 12 of his points came in the second half alone. The guard tallied double figures in points for the fourth time in the last five games.
- Cosic had a strong game off the bench as he scored a season-high 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes. Graduate guard Unique McLean registered 10 points and eight rebounds in 39 minutes.
UP NEXT:
After a very brief return to Brooklyn Heights, the Terriers head back on the road on Thursday, February 6, when they face Bryant at 7 p.m. St. Francis has a 12-7 record against Bryant dating to their first meeting in the 2008-09 season. The Terriers are 3-2 over their last five contests against Bryant and have won three out of the last four meetings. St. Francis Brooklyn is 9-7 against Bryant under head coach
Glenn Braica. Last season, the Terriers and Bulldogs split the series with each team earning wins on their own home courts.
