STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The stage was set for a classic New York City rivalry to be renewed on Thursday night in front of a national audience. St. Francis Brooklyn men's basketball made its annual trip to Spiro Sports Center to take on the Wagner Seahawks; televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. The first Northeast Conference (NEC) contest aired on the network served to be a good one, as the Terriers scored their first win over Wagner since 2020.
HOW IT HAPPENED
6-0 run to take the first lead of the game as Roy Clarke picked Javier Ezquerra's pocket and fed Josiah Harris for a quick bucket.
Tedrick Wilcox Jr. continued to add to the highlight reel with the Terriers' second steal of the game, popping the ball loose from Delonnie Hunt and took a clear lane to the basket for an emphatic slam. The dunk gave St. Francis the lead again, 11-9.
Wagner took its largest lead of the game headed into the under-eight media timeout, feeding the post for the eighth time to that point for a 22-17. The teams combined for just 13 points down the stretch but the visitors scored the final five, as the Seahawks headed to the locker room with a 30-22 advantage.
St. Francis was .500 from behind the line in the first 20 minutes, with a Zion Bethea accounting for two of the four made triples.
The Terriers continued their scoring streak to open the second, as Di'andre Howell-South scored his first points of the game from midrange. The visitors came out of the locker room with a fire reignited as Wagner did not score a field goal in the opening five minutes.
SFBK hit a 13-1 run in that stretch to take its first lead since the opening ticks.
Both sides trades shots with St. Francis maintaining a single possession advantage into the final eight minutes.
The Terriers extended their advantage at the free throw line, going 4-4 after Wagner was assessed a technical foul and Wilcox was fouled on the next possession. The pendulum swung back in the direction of the home team as the Seahawks were perfect on three consecutive trips to the line.
Wilcox shouldered the offense in the clutch, splashing a logo three with 3:42 remaining in regulation.
The Seahawks turned to fouls to attempt to claw their way back into the game but the Terriers were up to the task; knocking down nine of ten free throw attempts in the final four minutes to maintain the advantage
St. Francis held on for their first win on Grymes Hill since Jan. 18, 2020. The Terriers held Wagner to its second-lowest point total in NEC play, and third lowest this season.
TEAM LEADERS
Leading the charge again for the Terriers, Tedrick Wilcox Jr. dropped 21 points on Wagner. This is third time Wilcox scored 21 points exactly and the fourth time he has scored 20+ points this year. The senior shot 6-12 (.500) from the field and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe and added two steals.
Di'andre Howell-South and Zion Bethea each added 12 points with Bethea also going 6-6 from the line.
Josiah Harris grabbed ten rebounds marking the first time he has logged double-digit boards since New Year's Eve.
NEXT UP: Rivalry week continues on Saturday as St. Francis Brooklyn hosts the 48th annual Battle of Brooklyn against LIU. Tip-off from The ARC is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the action will air live on NEC Front Row.
