University St. Francis College Nickname Terriers Home Away Head coach John Thurston | All-time record 334–818 (.290) Colors Royal Blue and Red Away Alternate Conference Northeast Conference | |
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Arena Generoso Pope Athletic Complex Location Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States | ||
The St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers women's basketball program represents St. Francis College in intercollegiate women's basketball. The team has been a member of the Division I Northeast Conference since 1988. The Terriers play on the Peter Aquilone Court at the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex located in Brooklyn Heights, New York on the St. Francis College campus.
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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
As of 2012, John Thurston is the head coach of the St. Francis College Terriers. Thurston replaced Brenda Milano, who coached the Terriers for 9 seasons leading them to the NEC playoffs 3 times. After not making the NEC Tournament for four consecutive seasons, 2008–11, 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, going 11–19 overall.
For the 2013–14 season the Terriers made a pair of appearances on ESPN3 for the first time in their history. The 2013–14 Terriers improved to 6–2 on the season for the first time since the 1976–77 season. 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. The 2013–14 squad set the single-season school record with 19 wins during the year and the Terriers notched 10 conference wins, the most in St. Francis Brooklyn women's basketball history.
The 2014–15 team was invited to participate in the 2014 Preseason WNIT, the first in the program's history. They are also the 2014–15 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Champions after defeating Robert Morris 77–62 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. St. Francis Brooklyn is the first team 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 is the first championship for St. Francis women's basketball in program history. The women's basketball team made its first NCAA Tournament appearance and lost to eventual champions Connecticut.
While the Terriers under-performed on the court for the 2015–16 season, they excelled in the classroom and posted the number one ranking in the NCAA for team GPA. 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.
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.
Rivalry
The fiercest rival of the Terriers are the Long Island University Blackbirds, they have competed ever 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. The Blackbirds lead the Battle of Brooklyn series 13–10.