Higgins paces Terriers to comeback win

Scores career-best 24 points as SFC rallies past Bryant

December 10, 2020 John Torenli

By scoring 18 of his career-high 24 points in the second half Wednesday afternoon, sophomore Rob Higgins helped SFC Brooklyn to its first win of the new season over Bryant. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics

Share this:

Trailing by 16 points with just over 8 1/2 minutes to play Wednesday afternoon on Remsen Street, the St. Francis Brooklyn men’s basketball team was on the verge of suffering a two-game sweep at the hands of Northeast Conference rival Bryant.

Instead, the Terriers rallied for their first win of the season behind a career-high 24 points from sophomore Rob Higgins, pulling out a scintillating 93-91 victory over the Bulldogs within the fanless confines of the Daniel Lynch Gymnasium at the Pope Physical Education Center.

One day after the Bulldogs’ fast-paced attack rolled to a 101-82 rout of the Terriers, spoiling the return of live sporting events to our borough after a nine-month hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SFC fell behind 79-63 with 8:36 remaining on a 3-pointer by Bryant’s Chris Childs.

But Higgins, who scored 18 points after intermission, helped spark a 15-1 run to get the Terriers (1-1, 1-1 NEC) back into the contest and junior David Muenkat’s slam dunk with 1:01 to play put them in front to stay, 87-85.

Higgins and grad students Travis Atson and Unique McLean helped close out the contest at the free-throw line before junior Larry Moreno finally put the Bulldogs (3-2, 1-1 NEC) away with a last-second steal.

An NEC All-Rookie selection a season ago, Higgins finished 8-of-16 from the field, including three big 3-pointers, while grabbing three rebounds, handing out four assists and picking up a team-high three steals.

Atson added 18 points, McLean finished with 15 and senior Chauncey Hawkins had all 11 of his points in the second half as SFC outscored Bryant, 30-12, down the stretch.

Peter Kiss scored a team-high 21 points to pace five players in double figures in scoring for the Bulldogs, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

SFC can relish its win over the weekend before returning to action Tuesday night at Central Connecticut State in New Britain, Conn., for the opener of another back-to-back set.

***

Alyssa Fisher hit four 3-pointers, but the SFC women’s squad suffered its second straight loss to open the season at Bryant on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics

Sophomore guard Alyssa Fisher scored 12 points, all on 3-pointers, and senior forward Ally Lassen added 11 Wednesday, but the SFC women dropped a 78-61 decision to Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center to fall to 0-2 on the young season.

The Terriers fell behind 25-9 after one quarter before scrapping their way back into contention, but they weren’t able to ward off a two-game sweep against the Lady Bulldogs, who were spearheaded by Nicole Gallagher’s 20-point, 11-rebound effort.

SFC will host CCSU at the Pope on Monday afternoon at 4 p.m., for their first contest in Brooklyn Heights since March.

***

The Brooklyn Nets have partnered with Motorola to wear the company’s batwing logo on their jerseys for the 2020-21 season. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Nets

In local pro sports news, the Brooklyn Nets announced Thursday morning that they have formed a new partnership with Motorola, which will provide their jersey patch for the much-anticipated 2020-21 season.

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Nets will don Motorola’s “batwing” logo on the front left shoulder of their jerseys when they begin the pursuit for the franchise’s first NBA title on Dec. 22 vs. Golden State at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

In addition to becoming Brooklyn’s official jersey patch partner, Motorola will have prominent placement on the lower abdomen area of the team’s practice jerseys, a first-of-its-kind asset for NBA teams. The company will also have a branding presence on the Barclays Center hardwood during the 72-game season.

“In our search for a new jersey patch partner, we wanted a company that we felt a cultural alignment with,” said John Abbamondi, CEO of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment Global.

“We have found that in Motorola. Both of our companies have been through a reinvention in the past year; Motorola with the rebirth of the iconic razr [phone], and our team, which now features a roster that has redefined expectations for the Nets. We are looking forward to working with Motorola and introducing our dedicated fanbase to the brand’s latest innovations.”

Motorola and the Nets will also work together in the Brooklyn community to bring STEM educational programs to underserved youth and the donation of Motorola smartphones to support virtual learning for homeless students, who account for more than 100,000 of the pupils in the New York City Public School system.

Additionally, Motorola executives will participate in an educational speaker series with a local organization to help encourage young students to consider and explore career opportunities within the STEM industry.