St. Francis, Mount St. Mary's in Key Northeast Conference Matchup

Tonight in Brooklyn Heights the St. Francis Brooklyn men’s basketball team will face Mount St. Mary’s in what may be a season-defining match-up for both squads. The Terriers are coming off a last-second loss last Saturday at home to Robert Morris while the Mountaineers have won five of their last six Northeast Conference (NEC) games.

St. Francis (12-9; 6-2 NEC) is tied with Robert Morris and Bryant for the NEC’s top spot while Mount St. Mary’s (9-10; 5-3 NEC)—which defeated St. Francis 71-61 earlier this month in Emmitsburg, MD—is in one game back, making this an important game for both teams.

There’s also the added dimension of recent history between the two squads: last year’s thrilling 72-71 Mountaineer win in the first round of the NEC Men’s Basketball tournament decided by a Rasheed Whack three with seconds remaining.

Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jamion Christian—the man most responsible for the Mountaineers recent success—spoke about last year’s big win.

“Any time you play a great opponent you’re just hoping to have great game,” Christian said by telephone about the win that propelled The Mount to its first NEC title since 2008. “To be part of something like that is really special.”

Due to strong play from Byron Ashe, Gregory Graves, Junior Robinson and the team’s pressing style of defense—”Mayhem” is printed on the back of the players’ warm-up jerseys—Mount St. Mary’s is never out of any game. Two weeks ago at Barclays Center the Mount rallied from 21 points down against LIU to come away with a 61-54 win.

Christian plans “to throw a lot of bodies” at Brent Jones, the Terrier’s primary ball handler, in an attempt to disrupt the senior guard’s play, then added that “he’s the kind of guard that’s tough enough to handle that.”

“He’s helped St. Francis improve dramatically. This year he’s taken a step further by being more aggressive to the rim and shooting the ball well from the outside.”

The Mountaineer’s third-year coach also heaped praise on St. Francis head coach Glenn Braica.

“One of the most underrated stories or our league is the job Glenn has done over the last three years building a culture of toughness and great defense ”

Referring to the Terrier’s strong interior defense, Christian said: “They do such a great job making it difficult to maneuver with the basketball and they have great size and length on the inside that can block shots. You’ve really got to take care of the basketball.”

Christian singled out Jalen Cannon, the St. Francis senior who leads the NEC with 9.6 rebounds per game and has collected a conference-high 12 double-doubles this season.

“He scores the ball on rebounds at such a high rate, he makes it look easy.”

After three years coaching against the Terriers (4-1 record) and four years playing for the Mount (2000 - 04), Christian knows that the Pope Center is a tough place to play.

“It can be very loud, you’ve got a New York City crowd in there,” he said, “but the biggest thing St. Francis brings is their guys on the floor. Our challenge is to take on an experienced group with a chip on their shoulder for us.”

According to Dennis McDermott, third in career points scored for the Terriers and a 1974 St. Francis graduate, tonight’s game is crucial if St. Francis hopes to capture a first-ever NEC title.

“We have to start putting things together if we’re going to battle for a championship game at the end of the year,” McDermott said by telephone.

“Through the course of the year [St. Francis] Coach Braica has said ‘they’re gonna develop.’ I think now is the time to be ready.”

McDermott, Director of Alumni Relations for St. Francis whose 6-6 frame towers over the crowds at Terrier home games, spoke of last season’s NEC tourney heartbreak, when with less than two minutes remaining an 11-point St. Francis lead evaporated.

“The way they [Mount St. Mary’s] came back last year was very tough,” he said. “Coming into our building tonight we want to show them. All the players have to come with their A-game.”

“It’s the end of January, beginning of February. We have to step up the intensity. And the games are not easy. We have the Mount and then two days later you have LIU at home. They’re always a tough game.”

Nelson Castillo, who follows LIU Brooklyn at Blackbird Hoops Journal, is aware of how important tonight’s game is to St. Francis, the Blackbirds’ biggest rival.

“You have two of the better defensive teams in the NEC going at it,” Castillo said by email. “This is the kind of game where you expect [St. Francis] seniors like Jalen Cannon and Brent Jones to play well and get past a young but feisty Mount team.”

Like McDermott, Castillo believes that last year’s NEC tournament loss will be on the minds of Cannon, Jones, Kevin Douglas, Amdy Fall and Lowell Ulmer—all of whom experienced the defeat first hand—which included a late blown call that helped the Mount win.

“That [loss] will certainly will be an added motivation for St. Francis. I expect the Terriers to come ready to play.”

PHOTO CAPTION: The Mount’s Rasheed Whack breaks Terrier hearts last year with a game-winning three pointer.
PHOTO CREDIT: Mount St. Mary’s Athletics