LIU Blackbirds: The Madness Begins Against James Madison

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

2013 NCAA MEN'S BASKEBALL TOURNAMENT

 

WEDNESDAY

 

James Madison Dukes

vs.

LIU/BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

from

Dayton, Ohio

 

 

 

 

LIU/BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS - Flatbush Faces James Madison Dukes In First Bout Of March Madness.


Somehow, the lords of basketball and TV money changers found yet another brilliant method to increase the size of their sanctimonious revenue pie.  Call Wednesday's contest what you will.  We're being sold on the notion this is a first round game.  In opposition to my biased home town fervor, I know better.  But I'll call this the opening game of this year's tournament just to play along.


Playing in the East Region, the Blackbirds must first play through James Madison before truly earning the distinction of being the sixteenth seed.  Should LIU win, they will have the pleasure of competing against number one seed Indiana on Friday.


In his first season as Blackbirds coach, Jack Perri helped his veteran team play through the loss of 2012 NEC Player of the Year, Julian Boyd.  The Blackbirds finished as the three seed in the Northeast Conference with a 20-13 overall record.  However, LIU defeated Mount St. Mary's to earn this year's NEC title, and a berth in this year's tournament.  This will be the fifth NCAA tournament appearance for the men's program, and their third in a row; coinciding with their three consecutive Northeast Conference titles.  In the university's last two bouts with March Madness under Coach Ferry, they fell to North Carolina and Michigan State.


The Blackbirds are a much more experienced club than the James Madison Dukes.  Their top two scorers this season were 2013 NEC Player of the Year, Jamal Olasewere, who averaged 18.9 points, and 8.5 rebounds per game.  Guard, C.J. Garner, this year's NEC Tourney MVP, was the Blackbirds second leading scorer, averaging 16.1 points per game.  Guard Jason Brickman was the nation's leader in assists.  He averaged 8.5 this season.  All three players participated in last season's Madness.  The Blackbirds have six players overall who've participated in a tournament game.  Meanwhile, the James Madison Dukes, who finished with a 20-14 record this season and placed fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association, are making their first tournament appearance since the 1994 season.


These two teams only met twice before, with James Madison winning both.  The last time came in 2000.  Entering Wednesday's game, James Madison is the favorite, considered the more talented on offense. They might face a more daunting time defeating LIU this time around.  This report says James Madison coach Matt Brady is suspending his top scorer and rebounder, Rayshawn Goins, as per James Madison policy, for the first half of Wednesday's game against the Blackbirds.  He was arrested for minor offenses stemming from a party.  LIU meanwhile, has averaged over ninety points per game over their last four contests, and have topped ninety points in five of their last six games.  Their season long 79.9 points per game average ranked fifth in all the nation.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds: Flatbush Hoops Win Third Straight NEC Title

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Long Island University/Brooklyn Blackbirds

 

2012-2013

Northeast Conference

CHAMPIONS

 

FINAL

Mount St. Mary's  70

LIU/Brooklyn         91 

LIU/BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS - The Old Gang Did It Again.  C.J. Garner Scores A Game High Thirty-One Points; Jamal Olasewere Leads All Players In Rebounding; Jason Brickman Leads Everyone In Assists.

Blackbirds Win Third Consecutive NEC Title

 

Heading Back To The NCAA Tournament

With 1:46 left in the second half, NEC Player of the Year, senior, Jamal Olasewere, punctuated Tuesday night's title game at the Wellness Center with a thunderous reverse dunk that put the Blackbirds ahead 86-67 over Mount St. Mary's.  The ignited crowd stayed on their feet from then on.  As time expired, the WRAC turned to revelry.  The Hoops of Flatbush became three time repeat champions of the Northeast Conference.

 

 

Head Coach Jack Perri wins the NEC title in his first season at the helm.  The way back to the title game was not a road easily travelled.  The Blackbirds had quite a bit of adversity to overcome.  However, LIU's overwhelming experience prevailed.  Minus injured senior Julian Boyd, LIU's starting line-up stepped onto their home court replete with four returning champion players from last season.  Some congratulations should perhaps be sent former coach Jim Ferry's way for the program he built, and left behind.  This third championship is a testament to superior effort he put into the university.

 

 

Against the Mountaineers, the Blackbirds were led by senior guard, C.J. Garner.  He led all scorers with thirty-one points with a stellar 13/17 shooting performance from the floor.  Jamal Olasewere was second high for the Blackbirds with fifteen points.  He led all players with ten rebounds; nine came on the defensive end.  And junior, Jason Brickman; the nations leading ball distributor; led all players with eight assists.  Also returning from last season, Kenny Onyechi added eleven points, and seven boards.  Back-up guard, Gerrell Martin contributed twelve points off the bench.

 

 

The Mountaineers actually had five players score in double digits.  Guard, Sam Prescott, led The Mount with twenty-one points.

 

 

Brooklyn shot 61.4% from the floor on 35/57 shooting.  Mount St. Mary's struggled to shoot 39.7% from the floor.  Perhaps born of desperation, the Mountaineers hoisted up thirty-one three-point attempts, only converting on nine for a 29% mark.  Brooklyn only put up nine shots from behind the arch, converting on five.  LIU nearly doubled Mount St. Mary's efforts at the foul line.  Brooklyn took twenty-one shots from the stripe, making sixteen for a 76% mark.  The Mountaineers, spending most of their time behind the three point line, didn't drive the lane much, and as a result, only took eleven shots from the free throw line.  Brooklyn also won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Mount St. Mary's by a 36-27 margin.

 

 

Next - Selection Sunday; March 17th.

 

 

 

Mike.BTB

L.I.U. Blackbirds: Flatbush Goes For Third Straight NEC Title Tonight

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

TONIGHT

 

Northeast Conference Championship Game

 

MOUNT ST. MARY'S

Mountaineers

vs.

LONG ISLAND/BROOKLYN

BLACKBIRDS

From

The Wellness Center, Ashland Place

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN

LIU BLACKBIRDS - First Year Coach Jack Perri Has Flatbush In Position To Win Third Consecutive NEC Title.


* Jamal Olasewere - 2013 NEC Player of the Year
* Jason Brickman - Led nation in assists.


The back-to-back Northeast Conference Champions have returned to defend their title, although it didn't always seem they would.  Even before the regular season commenced, their year got off to a tumultuous start.  Several team members were involved in an on-campus altercation which required a response from law enforcement, and earned three Blackbirds starters, plus a fourth player, school issued suspensions.  Making matters on the court worse, last season's NEC Player of the Year, senior, Julian Boyd was lost to a season ending injury.


Under first year coach Jack Perri, the Blackbirds stumbled out of the starting bloc.  As part of the season opening Barclays Center Classic, LIU lost their first four games.  They followed with a five game win streak.  But ended their out-of-conference schedule with another three straight losses, most notably to #8 Kentucky.  They finished their out-of-conference schedule with a 5-7 record.


To begin Northeast Conference play, the Blackbirds continued to lose their first three games beginning with Sacred Heart, followed by Quinnipiac, then a third loss to Wagner.  Finally, on January 12th, the Blackbirds defeated Mount St. Mary's, whom they will face tonight in the Northeast Conference Championship game being played inside downtown Brooklyn's Ashland Place gym; or as it's properly named, the Wellness Center.  LIU went on to win another five in a row before falling to Robert Morris.  In the second meeting between LIU and Mount St. Mary's on February 21st, the Mountaineers defeated the Blackbirds by an 83-71 score.


LIU won their last two games of the season to finish with an overall 19-13 record; 12-6 in the conference.  They ended in a three-way tie for second place, along with Wagner and Bryant.  Mount St. Mary's finished in fifth place with an 18-13 record.  They were 11-7 in the conference.  Robert Morris won the regular season title with an overall 23-10 record, and a 14-4 NEC mark.


In the NEC quarterfinals, LIU defeated Quinnipiac 91-83, at the Wellness Center.  Brooklyn then took a trip into Staten Island to face #2 seed Wagner in the semifinal round, where they orchestrated a convincing 94-82 win, earning them a trip to the NEC championship game.  LIU/Brooklyn senior guard, C.J. Garner, scored twenty-three points in the victory.  The Mount defeated Bryant in the quarterfinals to advance into the semifinal round against #1 seed Robert Morris.  On Saturday in Pennsylvania, Mount St. Mary's pulled out a 69-60 upset of the Colonials, to earn a trip to Brooklyn.  It was The Mount's ninth win in a row.  This will be the Mountaineers first trip to the NEC Finals since the 2009 season.  LIU/Brooklyn is aiming for their third straight crown.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds: Defense Of NEC Title Starts Friday

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:

Under New Coach Jack Perri,

Returning NEC Champions Are Ready To Do It Again.

 

 

The collegiate members of the Hoops of Flatbush tip-off their 2012-2013 regular season in a non conference match-up versus the Morehead State Eagles, which additionally kicks off the first ever Barclays Center Classic beginning late Friday afternoon.

The back-to-back Northeast Conference champions begin their first season under coach Jack Perri.  Returning from last year's squad are NEC Player of the year, and returning senior, forward Julian Boyd; senior forward Jamal Olasewere; senior forward Kenny Onyechi; senior guard Brandon Thompson; retuning senior guard C.J. Garner; and junior guard Jason Brickman.  Gone from last year's popular team are senior guard Michael Culpo and senior forward Arnold Mayorga.


Newcomers to the team include junior G/F Gilbert Parga and soph forward Khalil Murphy.  Among the freshman class are guard Kedar Edwards, guard D.J. Griggs, and forward E.J. Reed.


Once again, Julian Boyd, Jamal Olasewere, and Jason Brickman will serve as the team's core.  Julian Boyd averaged 17.4 points last season.  Olasewere averaged 16.9 points per game.  Jason Brickman finished fifth in the nation with 7.3 assists per game.


The Blackbirds finished 25-9 last season.  In their second straight NCAA tournament appearance they fell in the first round to Michigan State.  The loss did not detract however from their fine regular season, and NEC championship effort.  To include last season's championship game against Robert Morris, the Blackbirds have won twenty seven consecutive games inside the Wellness Center.  It is the second longest streak in the country behind Kentucky's mark.


Back in September, returning forward Troy Joseph, Boyd, Olasewere, and C.J. Garner were involved in an on-campus incident which resulted in their arrest.  They were then suspended indefinitely by Long Island University.  They have since been reinstated but will be docked the first two in-conference games of the season.  Otherwise, they will be required to perform community service and attend counseling.


In ten seasons at the helm, former Head Coach Jim Ferry took a moribund program and built it into a Northeastern Conference power.  He inherited a program that went 5-22 in the season prior to his arrival.  By his sixth season as coach, the 2007-2008 Blackbirds played to a 15-15 record.  Then after having successfully built a solid foundation, Coach Ferry constructed a team that won 52 games over the last two seasons, and earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.  In this most recent 2011-2012 campaign, his Blackbirds were the second highest scoring team in the Nation.


Coach Ferry left Long Island University-Brooklyn after accepting the head coaching position at Duquesne.  The departing coach didn't just save an athletic program here, he put Downtown Brooklyn on the national map.  For that, we Brooklynites are thankful, and wish Jim Ferry all the best in his new endeavour to rebuild his next program.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds: Four Players Arrested For Costly Fouls

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS:  The Arrest Of Three Returning Seniors, Plus A Fourth Blackbird Player, Puts A Dark Cloud Over Program.  The University Acted Swiftly and Decisively.  Two Female Students Suffer Bruises.


With just seven weeks to go before tipping-off the 2012-2013 season with the Barclays Center Classic, four Blackbirds student/basketball players were recently arrested and charged with third degree assault.  Reports say on the night of Friday, September 14th, at or about 12:30am, an on-campus brawl involving Julian Boyd, Jamal Olasewere, C.J. Garner, and Troy Joseph took place.  Long Island University announced Boyd, Olasewere, and Garner, all returning seniors, in addition to Joseph, have been suspended indefinitely pending appeal.  It has also been reported two victims in last Friday's altercation were female students.  Another report states two male students were also involved, and in company of the female students.

What this does to the future of the program former head coach Jim Ferry left behind is still indeterminable.  The appeal process needs to take its course.  The players version is still yet to be known.  However, the police report revealed the female students suffered bruises.

Since 2002, former coach Jim Ferry worked very hard to help bring the men's basketball program back to relevancy.  Before leaving at the conclusion of last season to become head coach at Duquesne, he led the Blackbirds to back-to-back NEC titles.  Under Ferry, last season Julian Boyd won NEC Player of the Year.  Along with Jamal Olasewere and C.J. Garner, the three led all LIU-Brooklyn players in scoring last season.

All the momentum built entering their senior seasons is now in doubt.  The immediate future of LIU men's basketball is compromised in a most serious manner.  Newly promoted Head Coach Jack Perri's first season begins with a major problem.




RELATED ARTICLES REFERENCED IN WRITING POST:
NBCNewYork.com
ESPNNewYork.com
WallStreetJournal.com




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Back to Back NEC Champions

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

2011-2012

Men's Basketball

Northeast Conference Champions

Back-to-Back:

2010-2011

2011-2012

March Madness, Here We Come!

For the second time in as many years, the LIU Blackbirds repeated as Northeast Conference  Champions and are headed to the NCAA Tournament.  In a rematch of last year's NEC title game, Brooklyn's own, Spike Lee, was on hand to help cheer-on his neighborhood collegians to a convincing 90-73 victory over #3 Robert Morris at the WRAC.  This was LIU's fourth overall Conference championship.

The Blackbirds have now won twenty-seven consecutive games at the Ashland Place gym.  It's the second such longest streak in the country behind Kentucky's mark.  But now, they will have to say good-bye to their home court advantage, for they are going to partake in some good 'ol March Madness.

Julian Boyd scored eighteen points and pulled down a game high ten rebounds.  Jason Brickman also scored eighteen points and issued a game high eleven assists.  But it was C.J. Garner who led all scorers Wednesday night with twenty-one points.

Make no mistake, Robert Morris' big bodies didn't make anything easy for the home team.  They scored sixteen points off turnovers; had more second chance points; and their bench outscored Brooklyn's by eighteen points.  After Jamal Olasewere led Brooklyn with eleven first half points, the Colonials had Brooklyn's junior forward in foul trouble and limited him to two points and eleven minutes in the second half.

If you watched on TV or were at the Wellness Center, then you know this game was a most physical contest.  Either team's interior was not an area for the weak.  Several times the game was paused to attend to players laying horizontally on the floor.  Almost every attempt to drive the basket was met with a body and resulted in impact.  And that all played right into LIU's hands.  Combined, seventy-four points were scored down low.  But that was LIU's battle to win.  Coach Ferry and Jason Brickman high screened and low screened the Colonials silly, in order to create just enough space for Flatbush to outscore Robert Morris 40-34 inside the paint.  Jamal Olasewere set one high pic in particular which the replay showed to be a clean pic, but wound up being a rough one on the fallen Colonial cager.

Once again, Flatbush absolutely dominated their opponent with, A) - their ability to get to the line, and, B) - by burying free throws.  The Blackbirds visited the line nearly twice as many times as the Colonials 40-21, and outscored them 31-14 once there.  In the second half, LIU went to the line ten more times than Robert Morris, and outscored them 23-12.  The Colonials disappointingly shot an overall 66% from the stripe versus Brooklyn's 77%; and more importantly for LIU, 82% in the second half.   C. J. Garner was brilliant with a perfect 10/10 shooting.  And Jason Brickman was equally accurate shooting 8/8 from the line.

But chalk one up for the home crowd and head cheerleader; Spike Lee.  Downtown Brooklyn was a lively place to be.  And perhaps that had as much to do with the lack of scoring touch on the Colonials' part, not only from the line, but from the field as well.  After surrendering a 19-17 lead at 7:49 of the first half, their scoring touch faded away and they'd never lead again.  For the game, Robert Morris shot a regrettable 27 of 73 from the field for a 37% night.  While Flatbush shot nearly 60% from the field, making 27 of 51 shots.

The Blackbirds won the first half by eight points and the second half by nine.  Once they re-established a double-digit 65-54 lead with 7:14 left in the game, the Colonials would never get within a single digit again.  Instead, Brooklyn pulled away down the stretch and closed out the game up by seventeen points to win their second consecutive NEC title.

FINAL

Robert Morris Colonials    73

LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds   90

What next?  Selection Sunday!

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ The WRAC Attack is Back in the NEC Finals

From the desl of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS:   A Late Second Half Surge Overtakes Quinnipiac 78-75 in Semifinals.   Robert Morris Outplays #2 Wagner to Set Up Rematch of Last Season's NEC Championship Game.




The LIU Blackbirds did what the Wagner Seahawks couldn't.  They won at home, and if only barely, staved off a big tournament upset.  And so, there will be no highly anticipated showdown like so many predicted between Coach Danny Hurley's Seahawks, who had the Conference's best overall record, and Coach Jim Ferry's Blackbirds, who led the Conference and won their second consecutive regular season title.



Many prognosticators predicted a Wagner victory over LIU in the Conference Tournament finals assuming both teams advanced, of course.  But that will all have to wait for another time now.  Robert Morris pulled off a 71-64 upset of the number two seeded Wagner Seahawks in Sunday's early game in Staten Island.  The LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds will now face the Colonials in a rematch of last season's NEC Championship game.  As we know, LIU came out on top last season, and will try to defend that title on Wednesday, March 7th, at the WRAC.



In Sunday's late game, Quinnipiac shot slightly better from the field and from beyond the arch than Flatbush did.  And in most aspects, played very evenly with LIU.  But Flatbush flexed a season long strength against the Bobcats with their ability to get to the free throw line.  As they have done to many an opponent this season, the Blackbirds punished Quinnipiac from the line.  Although their touch cooled off a bit in the second half, overall, they outscored the Hawks 22-5 from the stripe.



After pushing his fellow Blackbirds passed Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals, Jamal Olasewere played in foul trouble and was limited to nineteen minutes.  Off the bench, Brandon Thompson and Kenny Onyechi were held in check as well and could to little to offset Olasewere's caution.  However, all three still figured in with key free throws down the stretch.  What LIU did have going for them Sunday was the NEC player of the Year.  Julian Boyd, punched in to lead his mates with a game high twenty-one points, to go along with a game high nine rebounds, with eight of those boards coming on the defensive end.



The lead in this game changed hands thirteen times.  LIU led by as many as ten points in the first half but settled for a 40-36 lead at the break.  Quinnipiac worked to overcome that lead over the first five minutes of the second half, and by the 7:36 mark, were up by eight points.



From then on, Julian Boyd scored eight of his twenty-one points and pulled down five rebounds.  At 4:16, Boyd nailed a jumper to get the Blackbirds to within one point, then tied the game at 69-69 on the ensuing free throw.   At 3:36, Boyd's lay-up made the score 71-69, putting the Blackbirds up again for good.  Kenny Onyechi and Jason Brickman then hit some key free throws to put LIU ahead by six.  Quinnipiac buried one last three-pointer before the buzzer sounded on a 78-75 Blackbird win.



That was the Blackbirds' twenty-sixth consecutive win inside their downtown Ashland Place gym.  The streak now ranks second in the nation only to Kentucky's current streak of fifty-two consecutive home wins.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ NEC Tourney; Wipe Out Sacred Heart. Quinnipiac Next

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH




LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS:  Jason Brickman and Jamal Olasewere Turn Back the Pioneers.  Quinnipiac Up-Ends St. Francis (NY) to Set-Up Semifinal Match Up.

QUARTERFINAL:

LIU-Brooklyn   80

Sacred Heart    68

The Blackbirds went downtown for Wednesday night's NEC quarterfinal game against Sacred Heart; as in scoring thirty-three points from three-point land.  Nine LIU steals and seventeen Pioneer turnovers overall, resulted in another eighteen points for Brooklyn.

The Pioneers actually held an 8-7 lead at 14:07 of the first half.  But over the remaining portion of the game, Jamal Olasewere and the Blackbirds ensured they'd never lead again.  The Pioneers managed to get within a point of Brooklyn with 7:18 left.  However by 2:32, Brooklyn was up again by fifteen.  The Blackbirds wound up taking an eight point lead into halftime.



Once again, Sacred Heart managed to pull within a point of LIU with the score 41-40 at the 13:37 mark.  But Flatbush proceeded to pull away and were up by seventeen with just 1:43 to go.  Sacred Heart's Shane Gibson scored a game high twenty-two points, while Louis Montes pulled down a game high ten rebounds.  Sacred Heart also out-rebounded Flatbush by a plus ten margin in the losing effort.



Instead, the second half was all Brandon Thompson.  Coming off the bench, he buried a trio of three-pointers and dropped two more from the line for eleven second half points.  Overall, the Blackbirds connected on six shots from downtown in the second half on their way to an 80-68 quarterfinal victory.



Olasewere led Brooklyn scorers with twenty points; dropping eleven in the first half, and another nine in the second.  He also pulled down eight rebounds, blocked two shots, had three steals, and took a game high eight attempts from the foul line in thirty-four minutes played.  The facilitator, LIU's guard Jason Brickman, scored twelve points and distributed a game high thirteen assists.  Julian Boyd (16), Michael Culpo (11), and Michael Thompson (11), made five Brooklyn players in double-digit scoring.




NEC Tournament Quarterfinal Results:

LIU-Brooklyn defeats Sacred Heart  80-68

Robert Morris defeats Monmouth  87-68
I predicted this game would be closer.

Quinnipiac defeats St. Francis (NY)  80-72
*UPSET*   I predicted St. Francis (NY) would win convincingly.

Wagner defeats Central Connecticut State  87-77

Sunday, March 4, 2012

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

Semifinals:

Quinnipiac Bobcats

vs.

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

From,

THE WELLNESS CENTER

Ashland Place, Brooklyn

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Win Regular Season Title; Number One Seed

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

2011-2012

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

Back-To-Back

Northeast Conference Regular Season Champs

To Coach Jim Ferry, congratulations.  Make that back-to-back regular season NEC titles.  In defeating Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday evening, the Blackbirds clinched first place and the number one seed heading into the Northeast Conference Tournament where they will officially begin defending their NEC championship of a season ago.  They will meet eighth-seed Sacred Heart in the first round.

I had my reservations about LIU having to finish the regular season on the road.  Unlike the success they've enjoyed inside the Wellness Center this season, on the road the Blackbirds were only a 7-7 team.  The second place Wagner Seahawks stayed on the Blackbirds' tails all season like a bag of salt.  A mere game behind in the standings, Wagner was also scheduled to finish their regular season with two games on the road.  But unlike LIU, the Seahawks flourished as a visiting team, amassing a 11-2 record before Thursday night's action.

Wagner won Thursday's game against Bryant to improve their NEC record to 15-2, and upped their overall mark to 24-4 under Coach Hurley for what will end up being the best overall record in the Conference.  Their win over Bryant also bumped their road record up to 12-2 as well as the game being their ninth win in a row. 

But the team that handed Wagner two of it's four losses this season, also won Thursday evening  making all this academic.  The race for the Conference's number one seed is won.  LIU-Brooklyn retains it's NEC regular season title.  Similar to Wagner's streak, the Blackbirds' 91-80 defeat of Fairleigh Dickinson was LIU's eighth win in a row.  Both teams have one more game to play.  LIU (16-1) will finish against Monmouth, while Wagner will end their regular season against Central Connecticut State.  At this point, the best Wagner can do is tie LIU for the best Conference record.  But LIU owns the tie-breakers.

Technically one of the highest scoring teams in the country, the LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds were led by their two Junior forwards; Jamal Olasewere, and Julian Boyd; whom both celebrated scoring the 1,000th points of their respective collegiate careers this season.  And in his first full season as a starter, guard Jason Brickman has earned the accolades of his team mates and Coach, in addition to gaining national attention with his 7.2 assists per game average.

Thursday against Fairleigh Dickinson, Julian Boyd established a new career high with twenty rebounds, with eighteen coming on the defensive glass.  He also contributed twenty-one points as part of a dominating effort in the Blackbirds' clincher.  LIU out rebounded FDU 47-35 for the game.  Jamal Olaswerer pulled down eight of those boards, and dropped a game high twenty-four points on FDU.  He scored eighteen of his points in the second half.  And in a team high thirty-five minutes played, Jason Brickman distributed thirteen assists against just two turnovers.

FDU shot only slightly better than LIU from the field.  In return, LIU shot slightly better than FDU from beyond the arch.  But as has been the case over many games and Blackbird victories this season,  the Hoops of Flatbush made their opponents pay for their mistakes at the line.  They won Thursday's exchange of free-throws by a game tilting 25-6 margin.

LIU's final game of the regular season will be tomorrow, Saturday, February 25th, in New Jersey where the Blackbirds will take on (9-8) Monmouth, who tentatively can end up anywhere from the fifth to seventh seed in the coming Conference tournament.

THE FOLLOWING 8 TEAMS QUALIFIED for the 2011-2012 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT:

* Seeds are tentative Prior to Saturday's Games.

1) - LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS
2) - Wagner Seahawks
3) - Robert Morris Colonials
4) - St. Francis (Brooklyn) Terriers
5) - Quinnipiac Bobcats
6) - Central Connecticut State Blue Devils
7) - Monmouth Hawks
8) - Sacred Heart Pioneers






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Survive Sacred Heart; Quinnipiac Next

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS:  Finishing Ain't Easy!

Make that six wins in a row, and 11-0 at home this season.  That's all well and good, but make no mistake, there is nothing easy about defending their 2010-2011 NEC Championship.  Coach Dan Hurley's Wagner Seahawks refuse to lose and continue to leave Flatbush with no margin for error.  That's what made LIU's Thursday night game against Sacred Heart so harrowing, for the Pioneers took the locals into overtime before Flatbush pulled out another game at the Wellness Center, and by doing so, stayed a game ahead of Wagner for first place in the Northeast Conference with three games left in the regular season.

Jamal Olasewere went into Thursday's game already having been named Co-NEC Player of the Week off his 32 point performance against St. Francis (NY).  And against Sacred Heart, he powered the Blackbirds again with a game high twenty-seven points, as well as leading all players in rebounds with eleven.  Joining Jamal Olaswere among Brooklyn's twenty point scorers were Julian Boyd and Michael Culpo who both dropped twenty points each against the Pioneers.  Culpo in particular was deadly from three-point range, burying six of ten shots from beyond the arch.  Jason Brickman distributed a game high nine assists to go along with nine points.

Flatbush and Sacred Heart traded leads ten times in the first half.  With 4:45 left, a three pointer by Pioneer, Shane Gibson, tied the score for only a third time.  But from then on Brooklyn went up by as many as six after a Julian Boyd three-pointer with 0:59 left, and closed out the half with a 40-37 lead.

The second half was nothing short of a problem for the Blackbirds.  After just two and a half minutes into things, Sacred Heart had wrestled the lead from Flatbush, who watched the Pioneers increase their lead to as many as eleven against the home team.  It wasn't until the 7:23 mark that Flatbush was able to tie this game again at sixty-three all off a Michael Culpo three.  The Blackbirds held court again until Shane Gibson buried yet another three-pointer for Sacred Heart to tie the game at eighty-one apiece.

With 0:02 left in the game, LIU had the ball exactly where they wanted it; in the hands of Jamal Olasewere.  But he couldn't nail the game winning shot in regulation.  So, into overtime they went.

The Blackbirds never trailed during the five minute extra session.  By 3:25 left, they built up a double-digit lead and never looked back.  They did some of their best work from the line, shooting 12/15, on their way to outscoring Sacred Heart 22-10 for a 103-91 game final.

And it's a good thing too.  Wagner won their seventh game in a row to improve their Conference record to 13-2, and 22-4 overall.  Brooklyn meanwhile, improves to 20-7 overall, and remains in first place by a game over Wagner with a 14-1 Conference mark.

On the feel-good front, yes, the Blackbirds remain undefeated at home extending a streak that reaches back to last season.  They have now won twenty-three consecutive games at the Wellness Center.  They are 11-0 this season.  Their final home game will be Senior Day, this Saturday afternoon against Quinnipiac.

The Blackbirds will then close out their regular season on the road, where they have not fared as well.  They have a 7-7 record as visitors.  For the Brooklyn Downtowners, their season ends in New Jersey with games against Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth.  As Brooklyn plays Saturday afternoon, Wagner should know the result of LIU's game when they take the court in Staten Island against Fairleigh Dickinson later in the evening.  Then it's off to the road for Wagner as well.  And there's the rub.  While Brooklyn has only played .500 basketball away from the Wellness Center (2-0 in neutral sites), Wagner has excelled on the road this season where they have amassed an 11-2 record.

The Northeast Conference is culminating in a great 'ol race.  Three cheers for NYC Basketball.

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Kings of the County!

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  The Battle of Brooklyn is Won.

The Hoops of Flatbush Defeat the Remsen Street Terriers.

FINAL

St. Francis Terriers  78

LIU-BK  Blackbirds  81

LIU's Jamal Olasewere Scores Thirty-Two Points and is Named MVP in the Annual Clash for Kings County.


They came; They saw; They competed.  As a fan, the collegiate Battle of Brooklyn was everything you wanted from of a game between two old Downtown rivals.  A truly great contest played out at the Wellness Center on Sunday afternoon where pure intensity ruled the day as both teams fought through numerous ties, and multiple lead changes.  The outcome was never certain even with 0:08 left left in the game.



But as Battles go, the winners get to write the history books.  That's where LIU comes in.  But for the St. Francis Terriers, they have absolutely nothing to hang their heads over.  The Blackbirds will no doubt see them again in the NEC tournament.  But for a night, the Terriers gave LIU everything they could handle.  St. Francis made a defiant Flatbush Avenue crossing and jumped out to a 43-41 halftime lead inside LIU's Ashland Place gym where the Blackbirds were 9-0 this season and 21-0 going back to last season.  Akeem Johnson led St. Francis scorers with seventeen first half points.  The Terriers rode Johnson's effort and got ten points from their bench heading into the break.



LIU's Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd had other plans however.  They both combined to shoot a perfect 14 for 14 from the field for thirty-five first half points.  Yet, their mark on this game was still to be made.  St. Francis held on to their lead until LIU's Brandon Thompson nailed a three-pointer at the 13:17 mark for the game's eighth tie, and making the score fifty-two all.  That's really when the Blackbirds finally turned things around.



Jamal Olasewere made two key defensive stops with a block and a steal, and continued his game-perfect 11-11 shooting from the field.  He helped the Blackbirds build up a nine point lead with nearly eight minutes left to play.  But even then, St. Francis still had another run in them.  They led this game with less than a minute left to play.  But Jamal Olasewere's final three points of the night tied this game at 72-72 before fouling out with 0:44 left.  His eleventh and final shot from the field was good.  And then hit his free throw before committing his last foul and taking a seat.



Akeem Johnson; who finished with twenty-three to lead St. Francis; put the Terriers up by one with a foul shot.  Then it was Julian Boyd's turn to put this game into his hands.  With 0:18 left, he lofted a turn-around jumper inside the lane that found a friendly rim and got a soft bounce for a 79-78 lead.  Then at the other end, Julian Boyd suffocated Akeem Johnson on defense and caused the game deciding turnover.



C.J. Garner; who was monster in the second half shooting 7 for 8 from the line, buried LIU's last two points of the game on free throws to secure the Blackbirds' 81-78 victory.



By game's end, Jamal Olasewere scored a game high thirty-two points, and as mentioned, was perfect (11-11) from the field.  He pulled down seven rebounds; six on the defensive end; and added nine more points from the line.  He was awarded the Lai-Lynch Trophy for being named MVP in this year's Battle of Brooklyn.


Julian Boyd wasn't just clutch in the last minute.  He had a stellar game of his own throughout the early evening dropping twenty points and pulling down a game high ten rebounds, with nine coming on the defensive end.  C.J. Garner was the third Blackbird to achieve double-digit scoring with fifteen.  And Jason Brickman distributed a game high twelve assists.


With their fifth win in a row, the Blackbirds are now 10-0 at home and 22-0 inside the Wellness Center dating back to last season.  They improved their overall record this season to 19-7, and remain atop the Northeast Conference with a 13-1 record.


The Terriers' loss locks St. Francis (NY) into a 10-4 tie for third place with Robert Morris.  Wagner sits on second place with a 12-2 record while also owning the best road record (11-2) in the Conference.


Next up, Sacred Heart will take a shot at LIU's record inside the Wellness Center when they visit this Thursday, February 16th.

Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Battle of Brooklyn Comes to Flatbush

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

The Real Battle of Brooklyn ~ 1776

Third Avenue at Ninth Street

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE ~ RIVALRY WEEKEND

THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN

St. Francis Terriers (NY)

vs.

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

From,

THE WELLNESS CENTER

Ashland Place, Downtown Brooklyn

Lace em up Boys.  The Battle of Brooklyn hits home Sunday afternoon.  After suffering defeat last year on their home court, and then again this past Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, The Remsen Street Terriers are making final preparations to make a daring daytime Flatbush Avenue crossing where they plan to engage the other Downtown NEC encampment located along Ashland Place and exact some revenge.  Their objective; Invade the Wellness Center and defeat the Blackbirds.


This will be the 96th time Brooklyn's Downtown institutions will face-off.  They've been going at it since 1928 and here we go again.  In last Wednesday's game, the Terriers hung tough trailing LIU by just a point at halftime.  But the Blackbirds pounded St. Francis at the free-throw line in the second half to closed out the game with a nine point margin of victory in an 86-77 final.  The Terriers' Akeem Johnson was high scorer of the game with twenty-four points.  But LIU rode a big second half by Jamal Olasewere to victory.


For the moment, Wagner has joined LIU with twelve Conference wins but remain in second place with a 12-2 record.  Heading into Sunday's game, the Blackbirds still lead the NEC at 12-1 and will  have their undefeated 9-0 home record on the line when St. Francis enters the building.  The Terriers are in third place with a 10-3 record and are 6-7 away from home.  In order to keep their first place standing and home streak in tact, the Blackbirds will need to win this very important Kings County confrontation as winning the Conference and playing through the Northeast tourney is the most likely path to another NCAA Tournament berth.


LIU-Brooklyn; Wagner; the St. Francis Terriers; and Robert Morris have all clinched post-season spots so far.  The top eight teams advance to the Northeast Conference Tournament.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Flatbush Hoops Take First Battle of Brooklyn

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

The Battle of Brooklyn

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

vs.

SAINT FRANCIS TERRIERS

From.

Madison Square Garden

Wednesday Night Final:

LIU-Brookyn   86

St. Francis        77

GAME TWO:

February 12, 2012

From the Wellness Center

Ashland Place, Brooklyn

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  Hoops of Flatbush hold off The Court Street Cagers 86-77 in this year's first engagement of the Battle of Brooklyn.


The Battle of Brooklyn has begun.  Over 7,000 fans filed into Madison Square Garden which played host to the first of two showdowns between Downtown Brooklyn's college cagers in their annual clash to be named Kings of the County.


Blackbird forward, Julian Boyd's lay-up was the first basket of Rivalry Weekend this past Wednesday night against the St. Francis Terriers.  Over the first twenty minutes, LIU shot 51% from the floor and buried 4/9 from beyond the three-point line.  LIU built a lead that reached as many as thirteen points with just over 3:00 left in the first half.  But St. Francis withstood LIU's near-half long surge and answered with an 11-0 run before the break.  They helped themselves shooting 8/8 from the line; scored a net five points off turnovers; and scored twelve second chance points versus LIU's three points en-route to making the game 39-38 at halftime.


Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd went toe to toe with the Terriers' Akeem Johnson and Ben Mockford.  The Terriers' Akeem Johnson led first half scorers with thirteen points.  His team mate Ben Mockford added ten points.  Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd each scored ten.


By scoring the first points to start the second half, the Terriers briefly enjoyed their first and only lead of the game.  The Blackbirds continued to shoot above 50% from the floor and absolutely crushed St. Francis from the free throw line.  They additionally dominated St. Francis on the defensive glass with twenty rebounds.  Jamal Olasewere took matters into his own hands scoring fifteen points and pulling down eight of those rebounds for second half highs.


With a nine point differential, the game ended in an 86-77 final.  For the night, St. Francis' Akeem Johnson led all scorers with twenty four points.  Ben Mockford was the second Terrier to score at least twenty-points.  On the other side, Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd turned in a pair of double-doubles to lead the Blackbirds to their fourth straight win.  C.J. Garner contributed with nineteen points, and Jason Brickman had a game high eight assists to go along with thirteen points.


The Blackbirds raised their overall season mark to 18-7, but more importantly, clinched a berth in the NEC tournament as they improved their first place Conference record to 12-1  - while with this loss, St. Francis (NY) drops to 10-3, and into third place behind Wagner.  Both schools however have also  earned berths in the tournament.  Five more teams are yet to qualify for spots.


The Battle of Brooklyn will formally take it's rightful place Downtown this coming Sunday as the next clash of the Borough's colleges moves to the Ashland Place Gym for an afternoon game.




Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Defeat CCSU 95-80; Stay Undefeated at Home

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  Turn Back Central Connecticut State to Remain a Game in First Place.



The Hoops of Flatbush turned back Central Connecticut State to improve their Wellness Center record to 9-0 this season.  Their convincing 95-80 victory makes them 17-7 overall, and 11-1 in the Northeast Conference.  They needed this third consecutive win because Wagner and St. Francis (BK) kept pace with wins of their own, and remain tied for second place with 10-2 records.


CCSU had the game's two high scorers.  Forward Ken Horton led all players with twenty-nine points.  Robby Ptacek followed with twenty-four.  However, five LIU players achieved double digit scoring in leading the Blackbirds to a big first half, and then to a fifteen point margin of victory.  Jamal Olasewere led Flatbush scorers with seventeen points.  Julian Boyd and C.J. Garner chipped in with sixteen points each.  Jason Brickman came in at fourteen points and Michael Culpo added twelve.


Brooklyn made extensive use of their bench this game.  Three players clocked in over fifteen minutes and collectively scored nineteen points.  Kenny Onyechi stepped in and spearheaded a dominant Flatbush effort on the glass.  The Blackbirds out rebounded CCSU 44-26 and in particular cleaned up on the defensive end with twenty-eight boards.  Onyechi pulled down a game high thirteen rebounds in his twenty-three minutes.


Both teams shot equally well from the floor.  But once again, LIU hammered another opponent from the line.  Brooklyn nailed twenty-nine of thirty-one free throws.  CCSU scored seventeen points off twenty-six shots.  CCSU actually led for most of the first eleven minutes of the game.  But once Brooklyn overcame them at 25-23 in the first half, CCSU never held another lead again.  The Blackbirds were up by thirteen at the half, and led by as many as twenty-four points with about eight minutes left in the game.


The Blackbirds will now take their act to a much larger stage.  Brooklyn's two downtown teams; LIU and St. Francis (NY); will start a two game series this coming Wednesday in Madison Square Garden before bringing the series home to Ashland Place in the annual Battle of Brooklyn.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Hold Off Bryant; Big Test Saturday

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:   Bulldogs Take a Bite Out of Blackbirds. But Flatbush Tames Bryant With a Better Second Half.

Bryant Bulldogs 2 of 18 shooting from beyond the arch could have been all the difference.

.....It's all in how you look at things.  But it just goes to show;  On any given day any team can be beat.


The Bryant Bulldogs came into the Wellness Center and damn-near turned it into their own personal fun house.  Bryant was 2-20 coming into last night's game and 1-9 in the Conference.  And for that, wound up putting silly looking and puzzled faces on a stunned crowd inside the Ashland Place Gym, as the Bulldogs played toe-to-toe with the first place and defending NEC Champs.


After four lead changes, and the Bulldogs building up to a nine point lead, LIU-Brooklyn came back to take a one point lead into half-time.  Brooklyn steadied themselves in the second half, although Bryant did tie the score on two occasions.  They pulled within 72-70 with 0:11 seconds left in the game.  But Brooklyn buried their free throws to seal the deal.  It turned out to be just enough to secure a 75-70 victory and for many, a huge relief.


The Blackbirds did more with less attempts, shooting 49% for the game and 55% in the second half from the floor.  However they squeezed this game out by being better than Bryant from behind the three, and by going to the line almost twice as many times as the Bulldogs; which incidentally has been a season long recipe.


Otherwise, Bryan outscored LIU from the field and out rebounded them for the game, particularly on their own offensive glass.  Bryant's Alex Francis was the game high scorer with twenty-five points and led all rebounders with eleven.


Jason Brickman was Brooklyn's big man on campus Thursday leading Flatbush scorers with fifteen points while playing in a team high thirty-six minutes.  The Blackbirds had five players in double digit scoring in all.  C.J. Garner and Julian Boyd added twelve points each.  Jamal Olasewere dropped eleven and Michael Culpo netted ten points to round out LIU's top five scorers.


The Ashland Place Gym Rats improved their overall record to 16-7, and 10-1 within the Conference.  With an 8-0 record, they still remain undefeated at home this season.  But for a night anyway, a crisis was narrowly averted.   Lesson learned and point noted.


Next on the docket for the Downtowners is Central Connecticut State (7-4) who are currently tied with Robert Morris for third place of the NEC.  They were 73-67 losers to St. Francis of Brooklyn Thursday which dropped their record to 2-8 on the road.  Saturday's game will tip-off at the Wellness Center at 4:30pm.

SATURDAY

Northeast Conference

Central Connecticut State (7-4)

vs.

LIU-BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS (10-1)

from,

WELLNESS CENTER

Ashland Place, Brooklyn

St. Francis of Brooklyn and Wagner remain hot on the Blackbirds' tails with 9-2 records.  Following LIU's game Saturday against Central Connecticut,  LIU-Brooklyn and St. Francis will bring the Battle for Brooklyn to Madison Square Garden first, before returning to the Wellness Center for the second game of two straight between the downtown borough rivals.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Bounce Back Win Keeps Flatbush in 1st

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:   Back on Track and Heading Home.



After suffering their first Conference defeat of the season to Robert Morris, the LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds bounced back with an overwhelming 97-76 win Saturday against the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash.  They needed the win to stay a game ahead of a thinning second place pack as Wagner and St. Francis (NY) won their games and improved to 8-2 to keep pace.  Robert Morris couldn't maintain the momentum they gained after defeating Brooklyn and in losing their last game, forged a new tie for third place with Central Connecticut State with 7-3 records


The HOOPS of FLATBUSH improved their NEC record to 9-1, and 15-7 overall.  They still remain one game shy of the .500 mark on the road with a 6-7 record.  But they're coming back home to the Wellness Center now where they still remain undefeated (7-0) this season.  The first of two Downtown games will be Thursday against the last place Bryant Bulldogs.  Then on February 4th, they have a big match-up against Central Connecticut State.


Five Blackbirds ended Saturday's game in double-digit scoring and Michael Culpo almost made it six players with nine points of his own.  LIU nearly doubled St. Francis' effort on the glass, out-rebounding the Red Flash by a 45-24 margin.  Thirty-two of LIU's forty-five rebounds came on the defensive end.  However they turned the ball over nineteen times.  Ultimately, Jamal Olasewere's efforts; nearly 60% team shooting from the field; and a game high twelve assists from Jason Brickman contributed to lead the Flatbush Five over St. Francis.


Jamal Olasewere posted a game high double-double; leading all players with twenty-six points and ten rebounds.  Jason Brickman's twelve assists were also a game high and his personal career best.  Julian Boyd (17); C.J. Garner (10) were the other two starters in double points.  Off the bench, Brandon Thompson cleaned up with eleven points in twenty-three minutes.  He shot 4-4 from the line and pulled down four rebounds.  Kenny Onyechi made the most of his fourteen minutes, contributing twelve points and five rebounds.  All together they combined to get the Blackbirds over the ninety point mark for third time this season.


Eight games remain in the regular season.  And the big Battle for Brooklyn versus St. Francis (NY) still looms just over the horizon.






Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ Brooklyn Denied a Tenth Straight Win

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:   The Flatbush Five Have Their Nine Game Win Streak Stopped in Pennsylvania.



Last night's game against Robert Morris was on TV, and well, wouldn't you know.....?



LIU's first NEC loss came at the hands of the Robert Morris University Colonials Thursday night.  So what did a nine game winning streak and being undefeated in their conference get the Blackbirds?  After last night, all that hard work only gets them a one game lead in the NEC over what is now a three team pack consisting of last night's opponent; Robert Morris; Wagner; and St. Francis (NY); who all won to stay on LIU's tails with 7-2 records.  Central Connecticut State lost their last game and dropped to third with a 6-3 record.  Brooklyn now sports an 8-1 Conference record.  The loss also drops them to 14-7 overall this season.  And they failed to get their road record (5-7) back to the .500 mark.



The Blackbirds were just plain off to start the first ten minutes of the game or so.  Robert Morris was up by nine with around thirteen minutes left in the first half and never looked back.  At one point the Colonials were up by fifteen points in the second half.  And as much as Julian Boyd and the Blackbirds tried, they could get no closer than five points before Robert Morris pulled away.  Even Coach Ferry got T'd up along the way.



LIU never enjoyed a lead Thursday night, and only managed to tie the score once all game; back when both teams were knotted at three apiece.  Robert Morris won with defense and rained three's all night long.  Their bench scoring torched LIU's bench, outscoring them 22-7.  Ultimately however, a bad start to this game and a 34-26 deficit at half-time was more than LIU could over come for they ended the second half 41-40 in the Colonials' favor.  Final score; 75-66.



Juilan Boyd finished with twenty-five points and Jamal Olaswere dropped another eighteen points as the only two Blackbirds to score in double digits.  Additionally, Julian Boyd was the only player last night to register a double in rebounding with twelve.



Before coming back to the Ashland Place Gym, the Blackbirds have one more stop in Loretto, Pennsylvania this Saturday evening for a game against St. Francis (PA) who are tied with Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart with 4-5 records for fifth place in the conference.





Mike.BTB

LIU Blackbirds ~ The Leaders of the Pack

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BLACKBIRDS:  The Hoops of Flatbush Turn Back Second Place Wagner for Ninth Consecutive Win.  Team Remains Undefeated in Northeast Conference.



Make that nine wins in a row for the Flatbush Five.  LIU-Brooklyn won the Battle of the Boroughs this past Saturday with a 73-66 win over Wagner in Staten Island.  They improved their overall record to 14-6, and remain undefeated (8-0) and in first place within the Northeast Conference.  This latest win widens LIU's lead in the standings by two games, and drops Wagner into a four way tie for second place.  Next up for the Blackbirds is Robert Morris.  The Colonials are among those four teams currently tied in second with 6-2 records along with St. Francis (NY), and Central Connecticut State.



LIU-Brooklyn will now zero in on improving their road record (5-6) to .500 when they visit the Colonials in Pennsylvania.  Thursday's hosts come into this contest fresh off a big 81-73 overtime win over Monmouth and can close to within a game of Brooklyn with a win over the Conference leaders.



In the latest final, Julian Boyd powered the out-rebounded Blackbirds on the glass with a game leading fifteen boards to go along with his game high nineteen points.  Jamal Olasewere (18) and Jason Brickman (17) joined Boyd as Brooklyn's double-digit scorers.  Wagner posted four players in double-digits.



Brooklyn continued punishing opposing teams at the free throw line.  Hey - if teams keep insisting on sending them to the line twice as often, why not?  The Blackbirds shot 27/35 while Wagner was limited to 14/16 free throw shooting.  Their frequency at the line was the margin of difference yet again.



While Brooklyn's shooting from the field remained consistent, Wagner's shooting ran hot and cold.  They rode a hot first half touch to stay within 36-33 at halftime.  But along with Brooklyn's second half punishment at the line, Wagner lost their touch and plummeted to twenty-eight percent shooting in the second half.  Both factors working together were too much for the Seahawks to overcome.








Mike.BTB

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