Atson leading the charge for Terriers

Brooklyn native off to blistering start in NEC play

December 16, 2020 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn native Travis Atson hasn't taken long to adapt to his environment on Remsen Street, leading the SFC Terriers to a strong 2-1 start. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics

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Back in May, St. Francis Brooklyn men’s head basketball coach Glenn Braica described newly added graduate guard Travis Atson as “a solid all-around basketball player who can rebound, shoot it, score it, and has a good basketball IQ.”

Thus far, Braica has been accurate on all counts regarding the Brooklyn native and former Christ the King High School standout.

Atson backed up earning the season’s first Northeast Conference Player of the Week award by leading SFC to a 91-86 victory over Central Connecticut State on Tuesday at the fanless Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Conn.

The 6-foot-5 swingman scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range.

He added eight rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in 38 scintillating minutes as the Terriers (2-1, 2-1 NEC) won their second straight since a season-opening loss to Bryant on Remsen Street on Dec. 8.

Atson, who was granted a waiver from the NCAA to join the Terriers during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak after spending the previous season at Quinnipiac University, has spearheaded the SFC attack during the first full week of the 2020-21 campaign.

He averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting a blistering 55.6 percent from the floor during the Terriers’ split of a season-opening two-game set with Bryant last week.

On Tuesday, Atson led an SFC offense that featured five scorers in double figures. He also drilled five consecutive 3-pointers at one point and was the game’s high rebounder.

“We feel that St. Francis College is a great fit for him since he is a native of Brooklyn,” Braica said of Atson, who led CTK to a pair of Catholic High School Athletic Association titles and was the league’s MVP in 2014.

“We are thrilled to officially welcome him to our team, and we think that he compliments our roster nicely.”

Senior Chauncey Hawkins and sophomore Rob Higgins scored 18 points apiece and juniors David Muenkat and Vuk Stevanic added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Terriers, who were slated for a 1 p.m. rematch with the Blue Devils (1-5, 1-2) on Wednesday.

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The Terriers also announced this week that Jonathan Blount, originally hired as a special assistant to Braica in 2019, has been promoted to full assistant coach on the SFC bench.

“Jon brings energy, passion, and professionalism to our program. He is a rising star in this industry and we look forward to his development in the coaching profession,” Braica said of Blount, who helped Hawkins, Higgins and since-graduated forward Deniz Celen earn All-NEC honors last year.

“Jon will work closely with Associate Head Coach Clive Bentick, who has a tremendous amount of experience and will be an excellent resource and mentor,” Braica added. “Jon is a person of great integrity, he is responsible, and has a terrific work ethic. He will be an integral part of our team and we are very happy to have him on our staff.”

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On the ladies’ side, SFC averted an 0-4 start to the season by salvaging the finale of a two-game set with CCSU at the Pope Center on Tuesday, pulling out an 80-77 victory behind 20 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists from senior forward Ally Lassen.

Freshman Fruzsina Horvath added 17 points and 10 boards for the Terriers (1-3, 1-3), who snapped their three-game skid thanks to senior guard Melody Van Ness’ go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:36 to play.

Horvath followed with a clutch layup to cap the scoring for SFC, which will take its winter break before returning to league action Jan. 7 against Mount St. Mary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

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Junior Kiara Bell’s double-double wasn’t enough to help LIU pull out an opening night win over Sacred Heart Tuesday at the Steinberg Wellness Center. Photo courtesy of LIU Athletics

Over at LIU, the Sharks’ women’s squad finally kicked off its season with a 72-64 loss to Sacred Heart at Downtown Brooklyn’s Steinberg Wellness Center.

Junior Brandy Thomas scored a team-high 14 points and fellow third-year standout Kiara Bell added 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for LIU (0-1), which was scheduled to host a rematch with the Pioneers (1-0) on Wednesday afternoon.