LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Open Conference Schedule With Mixed Results

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Foiled by Sacred Heart, Flatbush bows to Pioneers in Northeast Conference opener. 

NEC OPENER

LIU Brooklyn  75

SHU Pioneers  79

Raiquan Clark leads all players with 38-minutes and 28-points scored; Julian Batts leads all players with ten rebounds; even Jashaun Agosto leads the floor with seven assists; albeit all in a losing effort.  SHU's three-point shooting and 19-points from the charity line would ultimately prove the difference in this game.  LIU falls behind by fifteen midway through the first session, and trails by eighteen with five minutes left, before reducing their deficit to eight by halftime.  The Blackbirds finally knot things up in the second session on Raiquain Clark's 3-pointer at the 13:49 mark, then build a five point lead on another 3-pointer by Raul Frias with 11:01 remaining.  Sacred Heart would regroup.  In the meantime, a layup by Julian Batts would keep LIU staked to a one point lead with just 1:25 left on the clock.  But it's the Pioneers who would eventually close out the game on a 4-0 run to secure victory by a 79-75 final.

SATURDAY FINAL

LIU Blackbirds   79

SHU Pioneers     70

Brooklyn closes out their three game road trip at Rhode Island, with a 79-70 victory over the Bryant University Bulldogs on Saturday.  Julian Batts leads all scorers with an even 20-points, with Raiquan Clark adding 19-points, four boards, and a team leading three blocks.  Ty Flowers notches a double-double with ten points and a game high 12 rebounds.  The Bulldogs finish with five players scoring in double-digits, but as a team only shoot (23/58) 39.7% from the field.  Flatbush in turn oppresses Bryant with 10/23 from beyond the arc, and 21-points from the line.

The victory is Brooklyn's first against a conference opponent, and brings their overall record back up to par, including a 5-5 mark on the road.  They return home to the Ashland Place gym on Jan. 10 where they'll host the Red Flash of Saint Francis University.


NEC NOTES

• Sacred Heart and Robert Morris lead the pack early on with 2-0 records.  Central Connecticut and Mount St. Mary's bookend the conference with 0-2 records.  The rest of the field is 1-1, to date.  St. Francis/Brooklyn leads with nine overall victories, and are so far undefeated (5-0) at home.  LIU Brooklyn is the only team playing at least .500 on the road.