St. Francis Brooklyn 78, FDU 69: Ray Floriani's Tempo-Free Analysis

FDU cheerleaders unveiled their attractive new white uniforms to the crowd's outstanding approval as Knights took on NEC rival St. Francis Brooklyn.(Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

Teaneck, NJ ­- They stayed unblemished. St. Francis Brooklyn kept their perfect Northeast Conference record intact, defeating FDU 78-­69 at the Rothman Center. The Terriers bolted out to a 15-point halftime lead and withstood a strong second half challenge by the Knights to emerge victorious. The numbers of note....

Possessions: St. Francis Brooklyn 70, FDU 69

Offensive Efficiency: St. Francis Brooklyn 111, FDU 100

Four Factors:

eFG%: St. Francis Brooklyn 59, FDU 47

FT Rate: St. Francis Brooklyn 89, FDU 39

OREB%: St. Francis Brooklyn 30, FDU 21
TO Rate: St. Francis Brooklyn 21, FDU 17

What St. Francis did well: Get to the line. Besides Player of the Year candidate Jalen Cannon, St. Francis has a number of options on offense, and can be difficult to contain. The Terriers attempted 44 field goals and an extremely high 39 free throws. St. Francis was 67% (26-of-39) from the charity stripe.

What FDU did well: Obviously, care for the ball, with a low turnover rate as proof. The big story for Greg Herenda’s club was the second half. They defended much better, started clicking on offense, and drew even with the Terriers in the stretch. A by the half breakdown of offensive efficiency illustrates this point:

1st Half Offensive Efficiency: St. Francis Brooklyn 127, FDU 94

2nd Half Offensive Efficiency: FDU 112, St. Francis Brooklyn 89

Leading scorers: 
Jalen Cannon, St. Francis Brooklyn (19)

Mustafaa Jones and Xavier Harris, FDU (12)

Efficiency leaders: 
Jalen Cannon, St. Francis Brooklyn (28)
Xavier Harris, FDU (21)

A junior forward, Harris’ efficiency was aided by a game-high 10 rebounds. He had six of FDU’s seven off the offensive glass.

Defense: Jalen Cannon scored 17 first half points. A strong effort by the Knights limited Cannon to two second half points on just one-for-one shooting from the floor.

Momentum: FDU tied the game in the second half, but never got the lead. If they were able to go ahead, the momentum could have stayed longer in the Knights’ favor and possibly changed the outcome.

St. Francis Brooklyn remains undefeated in NEC play at 3­-0. FDU dropped their first in conference, and is 2-­1.

“You have to play both halves. Look around the country, not just in this league. It is important to put two good halves together.” ­ St. Francis Brooklyn coach Glenn Braica

“I was proud of our effort coming back (in) the second, (half) but in the stretch they (St. Francis) made the plays. That’s what a veteran team does.” FDU coach Greg Herenda