LIU Sharks: One Victory Down, Two To Go

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

NEC TOURNEY

Fairleigh Dickinson    72

LIU SHARKS               73

With less than four seconds left to play and LIU down by one, senior Julian Batts receives a baseline inbounds, dribbles high around the left elbow, then cuts down the lane for the game winning layup.

and the Ashland Place gymnasium goes crazy!! https://t.co/4bPhkpDEqY

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) March 5, 2020

LIU takes a 15-point lead (44-29) into halftime, and by 13:26 of the second session lead by as many as 19-points.  After which the Knights strike back with a furious 35-16 run, closing within two points of the Sharks with under a minute left to play.  A defensive rebound and layup at the other end by FDU's Elyjah Williams ties the score at 71-71 with just 0:22 second left.  Williams' free throw conversion then gives the Knights their first lead since 8:40 of the first half.  But it wouldn't last.  A key Raiquan Clark rebound gives LIU possession with just three seconds showing on the clock.  Coming out of a time out, Batts scores off the glass just before the buzzer sounds.

With Thursday's 73-72 victory over #5 Fairleigh Dickinson at the Wellness Center, the Sharks advance to the Northeast Conference semifinal round against top seed Robert Morris at Pittsburgh.

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 ~ 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 ~ Hoops of Flatbush Win Fifth Straight

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH






LIU BLACKBIRDS:   ...And Then There Were Two.


A/O  Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012



Jamal Olasewere and Jason Brickman led all first-half scorers with fifteen points and ten points respectively.  Quinnipiac dominated on the defensive boards however, which helped them remain tied 37-37 at half-time.  As a matter of fact, Quinnipiac belittled LIU on the glass out rebounding the Blackbirds 61-38 for the game.




In the second half, Jamal Olasewere dropped another ten points to finish the night with twenty-five.  And this time team mate Julian Boyd stepped in to net ten second half points.




In a game when the score was tied sixteen times; the last occurring at 45-45; LIU soon gained a measure of separation after a 7-0 run that put them up by ten with eleven and a half minutes to play.  They withstood the Bobcats' run which brought the home team to within three points.  Brooklyn then buried free throws down the stretch to secure a 79-75 tightly contested road win.




The Blackbirds had four players in double digit scoring.  Jamal led the way with twenty-five.  Julian Boyd was second with seventeen points.  Jason Brickman finished with twelve points and a game high ten assists.  Kenny Onyechi added twelve more points off the bench.  As a team however, they did a woeful job on the offensive boards as noted.




But let's not get nit-picky; after all, the Academics from Ashland Place are now riding a five game winning streak.  In their last five games, they've dispatched St. Peter's; Texas State; NJIT; Sacred Heart; and Quinnipiac by an average score of 86-78.




And then there were two.  With these most recent back-to-back wins over Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac, the defending Champs raised their NEC record to 4-0 and are now locked in a two way tie with Central Connecticut State for first place.  Robert Morris finally lost their first game to drop out of a three way Conference tie for the lead spot.

The Hoops of Flatbush are coming home now.  They take on Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday night at the Ashland Gym in the first of three home games.  The visiting Knights are having their problems this season and are supporting the weight of the NEC with a 0-4 Conference record.  They are 1-13 overall; losers of their last eleven and 0-9 on the road.  To borrow a football term, don't fall for the Trap Game fellas.




Following Thursday's game, Flatbush will welcome Monmouth and get their second look at Mount St. Mary's.  The clashes with Central Connecticut State and Robert Morris will appear on the horizon shortly there after.





Mike.BTB