St. Francis College got the bounce-back win it needed thanks a stellar effort from Tyreek Jewell.
The senior dropped in a career-best 23 points and dished out five assists to power the surging Terriers men’s basketball team to an 85–67 win over Sacred Heart at the Pope Center on Jan. 16. St. Francis, which shot a season-high 55.1 percent from the floor, got strong contributions around Jewell also.
“The ball moved, and I thought Tyreek and Yunus [Hopkinson] were outstanding,” Terriers coach Glenn Braica told reporters. “I thought Chris [Hooper] was very good. I thought Amdy [Fall] was fantastic. I thought Keon [Williams] did a good job. I like Jon [Doss] in his role of coming off the bench. I thought they were all good today.”
St. Francis has won three of its last four Northeast Conference games after dropping its first two during a four-game losing streak. A 61–59 loss at Bryant on Jan. 14 was the lone blemish during the recent surge. Bryant guard Shane McLaughlin connected on a tough game-winning jumper with just 1.3 seconds remaining in the second half.
Jewell followed up 20 points against Bryant with an even bigger night versus Sacred Heart (3–14, 2–4). He was all the Terriers needed to move past the tough defeat. Jewell scored in double figures for the 10th time in the last 11 games. He shot seven of 10 from the field and went four-for-six from three-point range. Jewell, who is averaging a team-leading 13.3 points per game this season, has shown an uptick because his shot selection has improved.
“I’ve always been a scorer, but I’ve just gained more confidence,” Jewell said. “Coach always preaches to us to be patient on offense — and about not jacking up shots. He tells us to move the ball and get good shots. I think everyone on the team is realizing that we have to put defense as our No. 1 priority.”
St. Francis (7–12, 3–3) used an 11–1 run to grab a 33–12 lead with 5:07 left to play in the first half. It forced 12 turnovers and led 41–18 at the break. Hooper had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Terriers, and Hopkinson chipped in 18 points. Cane Broome led the way for Sacred Heart with 18 points and five boards.
Blackbirds fly past Bryant
Sophomore Trevin Woods scored a career-high 20 points, including six three-pointers, to push the Long Island University men’s basketball team to a 79–61 win over Bryant at the Wellness Center on Jan. 16.
It was the Blackbirds’ second-straight victory in conference, following a rally from 17 points down to beat Wagner 71–70 on Jan. 14. Long Island University (9–8, 3–3) used a 25–6 run to take a 44–25 lead late in the first half.
Aakim Saintil had 16 points and four assists, and Joel Hernandez added 15 points for Long Island University, which had five players in double figures. Jerome Frink tallied 12 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Martin Hermannsson chipped 11 points with a career-high eight assists. Marcel Pettway paced Bryant (7–12, 4–2) with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
