BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The starting backcourt of junior Aakim Saintil and sophomore Martin Hermannsson combined for 48 points and 12 assists, but the LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team could not overcome hot-shooting Sacred Heart, falling by a score of 98-90 in Northeast Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

The Pioneers shot 52.4 percent from the floor and hit 11 three-pointers for the game en route to a season-high scoring effort. Hermannsson scored a game-high 25 points, extending his 20-point scoring streak to four, while Saintil recorded his first career double-double with 23 points and 11 assists for the Blackbirds, who dropped to 11-12 and 5-7 in NEC play.

The contest was nip and tuck throughout the first 20 minutes of action, as neither team was able to gain control. With the Blackbirds trailing by one, a three-pointer from sophomore Trevin Woods and five straight points from Hermannsson accounted for all eight points of an 8-0 run that pushed LIU Brooklyn on top, 26-19. 

SHU responded with five straight to cut the margin to two, and a layup from Sean Hoehn tied the game at 28-28 with 8:12 left in the period. The Blackbirds regained the lead thanks to five straight from Saintil, who closed the period with 11 of his 13 first-half points coming in the final 7:31. LIU went into halftime with a 47-44 lead following a jumper from Hermannsson as time expired. The Icelandic guard had 15 points in the opening half and junior Jerome Frink chipped in with 10.

The early portion of the second half remained close, with the Pioneers regaining the lead just 1:26 into the stanza on an alley-oop dunk from Quincy McKnight. The home team slowly extended its lead, with a three-pointer from Chris Robinson giving SHU a 58-54 lead and two free throws from Tevin Falzon bumped the margin to 68-61 midway through the half.

LIU made every effort to get back into the game from there, and cut the deficit to 86-80 after a layup from junior Joel Hernandez with 2:56 on the clock. The Blackbirds had two golden opportunities to get closer, but missed two free throws and an open three-point attempt on the next two possessions. A three-ball from Hermannsson brought LIU to within 88-83, but the Pioneers converted 10 of their 12 free-throw opportunities over the final minute to secure the win.

Frink closed with 15 points and eight rebounds while Hernandez was the fourth player to reach double figures for the Blackbirds with 13. Jordan Allen paced the Pioneers with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and his teammate Tevin Falzon (17 points, 10 rebounds) also notched a double-double in the win.

LIU Brooklyn returns to the Steinberg Wellness Center on Thursday, Feb. 11 for a matchup with Wagner. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.