Mia Brennan's college path is back on track.

Brennan, a former Waterford High School girls' basketball standout, had five minutes left in her final season at UConn Avery Point when she tore the ACL in her left knee, foiling her plans to attend Bridgeport. She announced Wednesday that she will attend Southern Connecticut State this fall.

"I know some athletes that have been through the program, and I knew that it was a great atmosphere going to a few games," Brennan said. "I didn't want to go too far away from home, either. I can still visit with my family on weekends and when time allows. I never wanted to go too far from college, but I still wanted to have that college experience. It's a good fit."

Brennan was injured while driving for a layup in a 101-77 win over Anne Arundel Community College of Maryland during the seventh-place consolation game of the 2019 NJCAA Division III tournament on March 16. She had 35 points, six assists and six steals in that game. She stayed at Avery Point this season and helped the team while rehabbing.

"I landed wrong and I heard a pop," Brennan said. "At first, the rehab was a little rocky, I guess you could say. Some days I wasn't motivated, some days were better than others. With the right support system and everyone encouraging me, they just had the upmost faith in me, I bought into the process."

Brennan was the NJCAA's leading scorer during the 2018-19 season (31.8 ppg), averaged 7.3 steals, and was a third-team pick on the Division III All-America team. She scored an NJCAA Division III tournament record 46 points in a March 15 game that season against Passaic County and earned all-tournament team honors. She finished her two-year career as the program's career leader in points (1,373) and steals (303) and is second in career assists (341).

Brennan will major in criminal justice.

"(The family) always watched the show 'Cops'," Brennan said. "It was always a nightly thing that we would watch. It just grew on me. Ever since then, I've always had the passion to go out there and help people."

n.griffen@theday.com