St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers
UniversitySt. Francis College
All-time record384–872 (.290)
LocationBrooklyn, New York
ArenaThe ARC, Pratt Institute
NicknameTerriers
ColorsRoyal blue and red[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament appearances
2015
Conference tournament champions
2015

The St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers women's basketball program represented St. Francis College (SFC) in intercollegiate women's basketball. The team was a member of the Division I Northeast Conference from 1988 until 2023. The Terriers played at the Activity Resource Center at Pratt Institute (aka "The ARC") in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Through the start of the 2022–23 season, the team had played at the Peter Aquilone Court at the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex on SFC's former campus in Brooklyn Heights.[2] At the end of the 2021–22 school year, SFC moved to a new campus on Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn that has no athletic facilities; SFC arranged to use The ARC on at least a temporary basis. On March 20, 2023, St. Francis Brooklyn announced the discontinuation of all intercollegiate sports, meaning the 2022–23 season was the final season for the Terriers.

History

The women's team kicked off intercollegiate athletics at St. Francis College in 1973. The first head coach was Christine McGowan, who led them to a 9–5 record. Since the 1988–89 season the women's basketball team has been a part of the Northeast Conference. The programs first Conference tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament participation occurred in 2015 when both were accomplished.

John Thurston era

From 2012 until 2018, John Thurston was the head coach of the St. Francis College Terriers.[3] After the 2017–18 season Thurston retired. While at the helm of the Terriers, Thurston accumulated a 73–110 record, the highest win total of any coach in program history. Thurston also was the first coach in program history to win a Northeast Conference tournament Championship and participate in an NCAA tournament. Also under Thurston, the 2013–14 squad set the single-season program record with 19 victories.

In 2012, Thurston replaced Brenda Milano, who coached the Terriers for 9 seasons leading them to the NEC playoffs only 3 times.[4] After not making the NEC Tournament for four consecutive seasons, from 2008 to 2011, first-year head coach Thurston was able to secure the 7th seed in 2012. The Terriers also won more than 10 games for the first time in 5 years that season and had an overall record of 11–19. For the 2013–14 season the Terriers made a pair of appearances on ESPN3 for the first time in their history.[5] The 2013–14 Terriers improved to 6–2 on the season for the first time since the 1976–77 season.[6] After going 11–2 by winning 5 straight games, the Terriers for the first time in program history were ranked inside the top 25 of a national basketball poll at 25th in the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major Poll.[7] The 2013–14 squad set the single-season school record with 19 wins during the year. The Terriers also notched 10 conference wins, which was the most in St. Francis Brooklyn women's basketball history to that point.

The 2014–15 team was invited to participate in the 2014 Preseason WNIT, the first in the program's history. They also won the 2014–15 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Championship after defeating Robert Morris on the road. St. Francis Brooklyn is the first team in the conference to go on the road and win all three tournament games to be crowned Northeast Conference Champions. They are also the first number 5 seed to take home the championship trophy. This was the first championship for St. Francis women's basketball in program history. The women's basketball team also made its first NCAA tournament appearance and lost to eventual champions Connecticut.

During the 2015–16 season the Terriers excelled in the classroom and posted the number one ranking in the NCAA for team GPA.[8] Additionally, the Terriers for four consecutive years have won Northeast Conference Top Academic Team Awards, four consecutive Northeast Conference Sportsmanship Awards, and four consecutive years finishing among the top five teams in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Team GPA rankings.[8]

Linda Cimino era

Cimino was formally announced as the head coach of the Terriers on May 21, 2018.[9] She became the 13th head coach in program history. Previously, Cimino was the head coach at Binghamton. In Cimino's first year at the helm, she set the Terrier record for conference wins in a season, 12, which was previously held by John Thurston's 2013–14 squad that won 10.

At the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, St. Francis Brooklyn announced the discontinuation of all intercollegiate sports effective at the end of the Spring Semester 2023. This makes the 2022–23 Terriers team the last team to represent St. Francis Brooklyn in women's basketball at the Division One level.

Season by season results

St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers
Season Head coach Conference Season results Post-Season Tournament results
Overall Conference Standing Conference NCAA
1973–74 Christine McGowan Independents 9–5
1974–75 Dianne Nolan 6–11
1975–76 16–10
1976–77 14–10
1977–78 14–13
1978–79 11–13
1979–80 Mary Convy 9–15
1980–81 9–20
1981–82 7–16
1982–83 John Woods 5–22
1983–84 Dominick Vulpis 5–20
1984–85 13–13
1985–86 9–16
1986–87 Kevin A. Jones NEC 14–15 9–7 5th Semifinal (1–1)
1987–88 Cecil King 4–22 2–14 DNQ
1988–89 Irma Garcia 3–24 1–15 DNQ
1989–90 6–20 2–14 DNQ
1990–91 5–22 2–14 DNQ
1991–92 1–26 0–16 DNQ
1992–93 3–23 0–18 10th DNQ
1993–94 9–19 5–13 8th Semifinal (1–1)
1994–95 12–16 6–12 8th Semifinal (1–1)
1995–96 3–23 2–15 10th DNQ
1996–97 5–22 2–16 10th DNQ
1997–98 11–16 7–9 5th Quarterfinal (0–1)
1998–99 10–17 9–11 T-6th Quarterfinal (0–1)
1999–2000 Steve Fagan 2–25 1–17 12th DNQ
2000–01 Christine Cunningham 2–25 2–16 11th DNQ
2001–02 5–22 3–15 T-11th DNQ
2002–03 2–25 1–17 T-11th DNQ
2003–04 Brenda Milano 8–19 7–11 9th DNQ
2004–05 10–18 7–11 8th Quarterfinal (0–1)
2005–06 5–22 4–14 T-9th DNQ
2006–07 13–18 7–11 8th Semifinal (1–1)
2007–08 10–20 7–11 T-6th Quarterfinal (0–1)
2008–09 4–25 3–15 T-10th DNQ
2009–10 2–27 1–17 12th DNQ
2010–11 2–27 0–18 12th DNQ
2011–12 4–25 3–15 11th DNQ
2012–13 John Thurston 11–19 8–10 7th Quarterfinal (0–1)
2013–14 19–11 10–8 5th Quarterfinal (0–1)
2014–15 15–19 9–9 5th Champions (3–0) First Round (0–1)
2015–16 7–22 4–14 9th DNQ
2016–17 8–22 6–12 T-7th Quarterfinal (0–1)
2017–18 13–17 9–9 T-3rd Quarterfinal (0–1)
2018–19 Linda Cimino 18–13 12–6 3rd Quarterfinal (0–1)
2019–20 8–21 4–14 10th DNQ
47
seasons
    384–872 155-435 0 NEC titles
(Regular Season)
7–13 in NEC Tournament
1 NEC tournament titles
0–1 in NCAA Tournament
1 bids
Legend
  Conference regular season champion          Conference tournament champion

  Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
  Post-season tournament invitation               Post-season tournament champion
  NCAA national champion

[10]

Coaching history

Overall Conference
Name Years Won-Lost Won-Lost Note
Christine McGowan 1973–74 (1yr) 9–5 (.643)
Dianne Nolan 1974–79 (5yr) 64–38 (.627)
Mary Convy 1979–82 (3yr) 25–51 (.329)
John Woods 1982–83 (1yr) 5–22 (.185)
Dominick Vulpis 1983–86 (9yr) 27–49 (.355)
Kevin A. Jones 1986–87 (1yr) 14–15 (.483) 9–7 (.563) 1987 NEC Coach of the Year
Cecil King 1987–88 (1yr) 4–22 (.154) 2–14 (.125)
Irma Garcia 1988–99 (11yr) 68–228 (.230) 36–151 (.193) 1998 NEC Coach of the Year
Steve Fagan 1999–00 (1yr) 2–25 (.074) 1–17 (.056)
Christine Cunningham 2000–03 (3yr) 9–72 (.111) 6–48 (.111)
Brenda Milano 2003–12 (9yr) 58–201 (.224) 39–116 (.252)
John Thurston 2012–2018 (6yr) 73–110 (.399) 46–62 (.426) First coach to win NEC Conference tournament and make NCAA Tournament Appearance.
Linda Cimino 2018– 26–34 (.433) 16–20 (.444)
Totals 1973–2019 384–872 (.306) 155–435 (.263)

Tournament results

NCAA

The Terriers appeared in their first NCAA Tournament in 2015, a 33–89 loss to first seed and eventual champions Connecticut in the Albany Regional at Storrs, Connecticut.

Year Round Opponent Result, Score
2015First RoundConnecticutL, 33–89

Rivalry

The fiercest rival of the Terriers were the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (now LIU Sharks). They have competed annually since their first match on February 21, 1975. During the 1993–94 season the women's basketball programs of St. Francis College and Long Island University contested their first official Battle of Brooklyn match.[11] As of the 2019–20 season, the Terriers lead the series 14–13.

Terrier records

St. Francis College Records[12]
Game Season Career
Points 47 Pam Curcio (December 8, 1999) 598 Jade Johnson (2018–19) 1,929 Karen Erving-Schiera (1987–91)
Rebounds 25 Karen Erving-Schiera (February 14, 1989) 372 Karen Abrams (1986–87) 1,049 Karen Erving-Schiera (1987–91)
Assists 17 Sandy Salerno (February 19, 1991) 268 Amy O’Neill (2018–19) 589 Sandy Salerno (1987–91)
Steals 9 Melissa Gialanella (September 12, 1998) 156 Sharon McAdams (1980–81) 354 Sharon McAdams (1977–81)
Blocked Shots 9 Katja Bavendam (February 23, 2008) 93 Katja Bavendam (2006–07) 236 Katja Bavendam (2004–08)

In the 2018-19 season, Amy O'Neill became the first Terrier to record a triple-double. She did so twice during the season, first at Sacred Heart (2/2/19) and again at home against LIU Brooklyn (2/16/19).[13] O'Neill also led the country by averaging 8.6 assists per game.[14][15]

Accolades

Northeast Conference (1986–2023)

Year NEC Player of the Year [16] NEC Defensive Player of the Year [16] NEC Coach of the Year [16] First Team All-NEC [16] Second Team ALL-NEC [16] NEC Rookie of the Year [16]
1986–87 Kevin A. Jones
1987–88
1988–89
1989–90
1990–91 Clare Guerriero
1991–92
1992–93
1993–94
1994–95
1995–96
1996–97
1997–98 Irma Garcia Christine Taps
1998–99 Carolyn Harvey
1999–00
2000–01
2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05 Kim Bennett
2005–06
2006–07 Tiffany Hill
2007–08 Tiffany Hill
2008–09 Kara Ayers
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2013–14 Eilidh Simpson
2014–15 Jaymee Veney
2015–16 Leah Fechko Leah Fechko
2016–17
2017–18 Jade Johnson
2018–19 Amy O'Neill Jade Johnson
2019–20 Nevena Dimitrijevic

Terriers in professional leagues

Retired numbers

No. Player Career
15 Jeanne Zatorski 1975–79
40 Karen Erving-Schiera 1988–91

The St. Francis Brooklyn women's basketball program retired their first two numbers in 2018. The ceremony's coincided with the 50th anniversary of St. Francis College being a coeducational institution.[21] Zatorski's number 15 was retired on December 15, 2018, during halftime of a Terriers game. Zatorski broke various Terrier records while she was playing and still holds the record for most field goals in a season with 209 in 1977–78. Erving-Schiera's number 40 was retired on February 9, 2019. Erving-Schiera is the programs leading scorer and rebounder.

References

  1. 2015–16 MBB Media Guide (PDF). Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  2. Shanoff, Dan (28 November 2009). "For a Budding Fan, Basketball the Way It Ought to Be". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  3. "New Women's Basketball Head Coach John Thurston Introduced on Monday". St. Francis College Athletics. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  4. "2004–05 Women's Basketball Season Preview". StFrancisCollege.edu. 2004. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  5. "Men's & Women's Hoops To Make Seven Television Apperances [sic] This Season" (Press release). sfcathletics.com. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  6. "Terriers Tame Lions; 73-47; on Wednesday Evening First 20+win since 2007; First 6-2 Start since 1976-77 season". SFCAthletics.com. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  7. "Women's Mid-Major Top 25". collegeinsider.com. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  8. 1 2 "John Thurston Previews His 2016-17 Terriers As Official Practice Gets Underway". sfcathletics.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  9. "Linda Cimino Named Head Women's Basketball Coach".
  10. "St. Francis Brooklyn Women's Basketball Won/Loss History". NCAA.org. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  11. "LIU WBB Record Book" (PDF). LIUAthletics.com. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  12. "WBB Records UPDATED 3.20.19" (PDF).
  13. "Amy O'Neill Selected to All-ECAC Honorable Mentioned Listing".
  14. https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-women/d1/current/individual/106
  15. "Amy O'Neill Finishes atop Assists-Per-Game Column in NCAA".
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "NEC Women's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). NortheastConference.org. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  17. "Amy O'Neill '19 Signs Professional Contract with Southern Sabres".
  18. "St. Francis Brooklyn's Alex Delaney Signs Professional Contract in Australia". NortheastConference.org. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  19. "Recent Graduate Leah Fechko Signs Professional Contract With Killester Basketball Club in Dublin, Ireland". SFCAthletics.com. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  20. "Eilidh Simpson still calls Australia home". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  21. "St. Francis Brooklyn to Retire Basketball Jersey Numbers for Jeanne Zatorski ('79) & Karen Erving-Schiera ('91)".
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