BROOKLYN, NY - Back in friendly confines of The ARC in Clinton Hill, the St. Francis Brooklyn men's basketball returned to its winning ways on Tuesday night. The Terriers scored their third win of the season over the Hartford Hawks in as many meetings as the team closed out its non-conference schedule.
Tedrick Wilcox Jr. exploded to match his Division I career high with 27 points, adding five rebounds and one steal. Four total Terriers finished in double-digit scoring.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Terriers had the lead as high as 14-9 in the opening minutes as a refreshed lineup worked to settle into the Terriers third meeting with the Hawks this season. With Rob Higgins out of the lineup, Larry Moreno carried the torch early for the Terriers' leading scorer duo. Moreno tallied an early seven points and three assists as St. Francis looked to work from behind in the opening ten minutes.
Hartford showed fight as the first half settled in; hitting a 10-2 run to take its highest lead of the game, 30-21, with just over six minutes remaining in the first half. Briggs McClain led the charge for the Hawks in that run and led the team with 22 points on the night.
Showing shades of their battle with NEC foe Merrimack on Saturday afternoon, the Terriers clapped back with another massive run. Tedrick Wilcox Jr. answered the bell 15 seconds after the McClain basket with a three of his own and would rattle off 11 by himself as part of a 15-4 run to hit the locker room at halftime with a 78-73 lead. Wilcox was a perfect 4-4 in that run and 3-3 from beyond three.
McClain continued his strong shooting to tie the game against at 42-all with 14:08 remaining. St. Francis swung the lead back in their favor as Michael Myrie checked in on the scoresheet at the free throw line.
Staving off a scoreless two minute run for both teams, the Terriers added to their lead coming-out of the under-12 media timeout as Zion Bethea and Syrus Grisby scored in the paint. The Terriers systematically outpaced the Hawks production rate to protect the lead; the St. Francis advantage climbing to as many as 11 points with 1:33 left in regulation.
A pair of Hartford triples cut down the lead to single digits and Braxton Jones put back a McClain three to get within four points of the Terriers with five seconds remaining. Bethea iced the Terrier lead at the free throw line for a 78-73 victory.
The Terriers now close out the non-conference schedule with a 7-6 record and their home record improves to 6-2 this season. They shot a season-high 54.0% from the field and 57.1% from three-point range.
TEAM LEADERS
Tedrick Wilcox Jr. matched his Division I career-high with 27 points (9-13 FG, 6-8 3PT), on par with his output against Central Connecticut State on New Year's Eve during the 2021-22 season. Wilcox added five rebounds, one steal and one assist.
Larry Moreno shined in his role as fill-in point guard; facilitating eight assists with no turnovers, a new career high. Moreno contributed 12 points and three rebounds.
Zion Bethea turned in his first double-digit showing since the first meeting this season with Hartford, recording 13 points and five assists.
Syrus Grisby also put up his best numbers as a Terrier with 11 points and five rebounds.
NEXT UP: St. Francis continues the homestead on Saturday as the Terriers return to Northeast Conference competition against Sacred Heart on Jan. 14. Tip-off from The ARC is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and the action will stream live on NEC Front Row.
