NORTHEAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
QUARTERFINALS
WEDNESDAY
LIU/BROOKLYN #6
BLACKBIRDS
vs.
SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY #3
PIONEERS
It's been a rough and tumble season for the defending NEC champions. But as they say: what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. The resilient Blackbirds ended their regular season winners of three in a row, and four of their last five. In so doing, they climbed back up to par, finishing the season with a 15-15 record, and 9-9 within the conference. Last Saturday's commanding 81-65 victory in the season finale over Bryant University also improved the Blackbirds record to 8-5 at the Wellness Center, but more importantly earned them the sixth seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference tournament.
However, the Blackbirds must now take their 6-9 road record to Fairfield, Connecticut, where they'll take on #3-seed Sacred Heart University in the NEC quarterfinals this coming Wednesday.
The teams split their season series, which each taking care of home court.
- 1/3/2019 - LIU 75 @ SHU 79
- 2/16/2019 - SHU 84 @ LIU 92
LIU's first round opponent finished a mere game behind the conference leaders, with a 13-7 conference record, and 15-16 record overall. But like the Blackbirds, the Pioneers enter Wednesday's match-up winners of three straight, and own an impressive 10-2 record at the Pitt Center.
Fairleigh Dickinson topped the conference this season with a 12-6 conference record, and 17-13 mark overall. St. Francis (PA) placed a tight second, matching FDU's conference record, and finishing with a 16-13 record overall.
Last season LIU finished 18-17, with a 10-8 conference record, and a 12-4 mark at home. They went on to defeat St. Francis (BK), and Fairleigh Dickinson through two rounds of tourney play, then defeated favored Wagner to capture the 2017-2018 NEC championship - their first since capturing three straight NEC titles from 2011 through 2013, and the sixth in Blackbirds history.
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