"Battle of Brooklyn" Times Changed Due to Snow Emergency

FORT GREENE. The blizzard currently storming up the East Coast and projected to reach New York City early tomorrow morning has scrambled the plans of local hoops aficionados. Tip off times for first leg of the annual home-and-home Battle of Brooklyn between archrivals LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn—to be held Saturday at the Steinberg Wellness Center—have been changed.

LIU vs. SFC women’s basketball will now tip off at noon, to be immediately followed by the Blackbirds and Terriers men’s teams.

Given the severe storm warning issued by the National Weather Service—forecast are for as much as a foot of snow to be dumped on New York City—it’s possible that LIU’s arena will be mostly empty for a national broadcast on ESPNU 3. St. Francis will have no problem showing up; in this most local of rivalries 10 blocks separate the Blackbirds’ and Terriers’ home courts.

This year marks the 41st annual meeting between the two men’s programs in the “Battle of Brooklyn” format; LIU leads the series 23-17 and holds a 63-40 edge over all in a rivalry that stretches back to 1928.

Fortune has lately smiled on St. Francis (6-13, 3-4 NEC), who last year swept LIU (9-9, 3-4 NEC) in all three meetings for the first time in program history. With both teams sustaining losses Thursday night in Northeast Conference (NEC) play—LIU dropped a 101-95 decision at Farleigh Dickinson while St. Francis lost 83-59 at home to Wagner—the winner of Saturday’s game not only captures local bragging rights but will stay close to conference leaders FDU, Mount St. Mary’s and Wagner.

LIU women’s team, which has been competitive in NEC play (3-3; 5-12 overall) despite dressing as few as seven players, will seek to snap a string of losses to its cross-Flatbush rival. The Blackbirds hold a 47-25 series edge but have not been competitive of late, losing the last six games to the Terriers by a double-digit average, including a 73-49 trouncing in the most recent meeting between the two teams.

St. Francis, who last year upset favored Robert Morris to capture the program’s first-ever Northeast Conference title, will seek to end a winless streak (0-6) in conference play. The Terriers (3-14 overall) have struggled this season following the graduation of mainstays Sarah Benedetti, Katie Fox and Eilidh Simpson.

Fans are welcome to brave the elements and cheer on their local team of choice, though Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a Winter Weather Emergency for Saturday and advised city residents to stay indoors. Perhaps that ESPN 3 feed will come in handy for housebound hoops fans.

LIU Brooklyn men’s and women’s basketball versus St. Francis, Brooklyn, Saturday, January 23, 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Steinberg Wellness Center, 161 Ashland Place (between Court and Clinton Streets); Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children. For information contact Sharon Abbate, Associate Director of Athletics at sharron.abbate@liu.edu / 718-780-4072

PHOTO CAPTION: LIU’s Shanice Vaughan drives over St. Francis’s Katie Fox in last years Battle of Brooklyn
PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Dea