LIU Blackbirds ~ Win 8th Straight; Bring on Wagner!

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:   Defeat Mount St. Mary's for Eighth Consecutive Victory.  Remain Undefeated at Home and All Alone in First Place of Northeat Conference.

Coach Jim Ferry and Julian Boyd

On the same night Coach Jim Ferry presented junior forward Julian Boyd with a souvenir ball in commemoration of his 1000th point scored, fellow LIU junior forward Jamal Olasewere equalled his team mate's accomplishment with twenty points in Thursday night's 77-62 victory over Mount St. Mary's.  Thursday night's effort landed him spot on the 1000th point mark in his own collegiate career.  His twenty points were also tied for game high with The Mount's Danny Thompson.

Junior; Jamal Olasewere scored his 1000th point Thursday night.

Mount St. Mary's had better shooting percentages than LIU on all counts.  They also won the points battle in the paint and even had more points off the bench.  But that's all that can be said of their visit to the Ashland Place Gym.



LIU contended with an uncooperative rim on the offensive end early on.  But Jamal Olasewere was on hand to lead all players in rebounding as well as points.  He had five offensive boards and seven more on the defensive end for a game-high twelve rebounds.

Jamal Olasewere at the line.

The Hoops of Flatbush additionally played a cleaner game than did their opponent limiting The Mount to five of eight shooting from the free throw line, while Flatbush cleaned up burying thirteen of nineteen attempts.  Then from behind the three-point line, Brooklyn nailed ten treys versus five for Mount St. Mary's.  Jason Brickman in particular shot five for eight from beyond the arch.  Twenty-four LIU points off turnovers were also perhaps more than The Mount could over come this game.  And if not that, they just had no answer for Jamal Olasewere then; not this night; not his night.

The Blackbirds jumped out to an early lead against The Mount and never looked back.  Five minutes into the first half, Brooklyn was up by a 15-2 margin.  Jamal Olasewere and C. J. Garner both scored ten first half points to help stake the Blackbirds to a 39-24 halftime lead.  When play resumed the Blackbirds' lead grew by as much as twenty-two points mostly led by Jason Brickman's fourteen second half points and Jamal's ten.

For the LIU Blackbirds, this was their eight consecutive victory.  The defending NEC Champs are now 13-6 overall this season and remain in first place of the Northeast Conference with an unblemished 7-0 record.  They also remain undefeated on their home court inside the Wellness Center with a 7-0 record.



Up next - Bring on Wagner!  Flatbush has been a little less successful on the road this season as their 4-6 record away from Ashland Place attests.  None-the-less, the Boys from Brooklyn will be crossing the Verrazano Bridge and heading into Staten Island for this Saturday's Battle of the Boroughs.



Wagner and Central Connecticut State kept pace in the standings with wins of their own.  They are both locked in a tie for second place in the Conference with 6-1 records.  And don't look now, but in addition to LIU, Wagner is also riding the wave of an eight game winning streak.  They are also playing equally impressive at home sporting a 6-1 record on their court.  And I'll let you in on something else.  Wagner is even having a better overall season with a 15-3 record to prove it.  They also own a big win over (then ranked No.15) PITT this season back over the Christmas holiday.  Coach Danny Hurley took over a once terrible program and turned things around very quickly and into the formidible challenge they'll present Flatbush in Staten Island this weekend.



The defending NEC Champs have a real contender on their hands this weekend.  For Wagner, a piece of first place is at stake.  For Brooklyn?  Bragging rights are on the line.  Of course.

SATURDAY NIGHT HOOPS

Battle of the Boroughs

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS
vs.

Wagner Seahawks

FROM

Staten Island

N.Y.C.

Mike.BTB