LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: First Half in the Big Easy Proves Difficult

From the desk  of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FINAL

LIU        96

Tulane  102

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Derek Kellogg's first half as head coach ends in defeat.  Otherwise, the game went well?

Despite tipping off the regular season in the Big Easy, the way Derek Kellogg's first game transpired as head coach of the LIU Blackbirds resembled nothing of the kind.

By no means were the Blackbirds rattled in New Orleans.  Far from it.  I'm not one for handing out participation trophies, but the second half of this game was a tremendous positive upon which to build upon.  

I'll simply be categorizing Friday night's season opening 102-96 loss against the Tulane Green Wave as a lesson learned twenty minutes too late.  But a lesson learned nonetheless.

After LIU jumped out to an early 13-4 lead, Tulane outpaced the Blackbirds through the remaining opening session by a 48-25 margin.  That could be attributable to the Green Wave's first half advantage (25-14) on the boards over Brooklyn.  Tulane shot fifty percent (19/38) from the floor in the first session, but inflicted their real damage on forty-one percent (7/17) from beyond the three-point line.  Meanwhile, Brooklyn lagged behind, converting at forty-seven percent (16/34), but just thirty percent (3/10) from beyond the three-point line.  In truth, though, Tulane's second chance opportunities on the offensive boards were ultimately LIU's undoing.  

Tulane's commanding 52-38 lead at the half wound up being a 14-point deficit Derek Kellogg's unit would not overcome.

The Blackbirds, however, demonstrated throughout the second session that halftime adjustment were clearly made.  LIU stiffened up on the boards which helped them get off ten more FG attempts in the second half than did Tulane.  They elevated to fifty-two percent (22/42) from the floor, and were thirty-seven percent (6/16) from beyond the three.  Tulane shot a slightly better fifty-three percent from the floor (17/32), but, as noted, on ten less attempts than LIU.  Defensively, Brooklyn minimized Tulane to just 2/7 from beyond the three, and essentially outplayed the Tulane Green Wave throughout the second half by a 58-50 margin.

The Blackbirds trailed Tulane by 17 points midway through the second half, yet clawed all the way back to within two points of the Green Wave with 00:23 second left.  Unfortunately, 96-98 would be as close as they would get.  

LIU missed a pair of three-point attempts in the closing seconds, while Tulane converted a pair of free throws to go back up by four, then another pair to seal the six-point margin of victory with just 00:08 seconds left.

Ultimately, Brooklyn's play in the paint left something to be desired.  They were outscored 46-52 in the paint, but an overall 32-46 disparity in rebounds ultimately translated into a 17-2 disparity in second chance points.

The second half proved it didn't have to be that way.