BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU men's basketball team extended their Northeast Conference win streak to six-straight at home in the Steinberg Wellness Center Thursday night, holding off a late-surging Wagner team to win, 76-69. The Seahawks came back from a 13-point deficit to tie the game up with just two minutes left to play, but LIU was able to break away behind a clutch late performance from senior Jerome Frink, and a 19-point effort from freshman Jashaun Agosto. With the win, the Blackbirds move to 13-7 overall, and 6-1 in the NEC.
 
The Blackbirds had a hot night shooting, as LIU hit 50 percent of their shots from the field, and that tone was set right from the start. Seniors Iverson Fleming and Jerome Frink hit two three pointers in the first two minutes of action to give the Blackbirds a 6-0 lead. LIU led from there. A 10-4 run midway through the stanza would help widen LIU's lead to 27-15 with just over five minutes to play in the first half.
 
Sophomore Raul Frias would hit two of his three three-pointers in the final five minutes of the first half, pushing LIU to its widest lead of the game, 30-17 at 4:39. And freshman Julian Batts hit a three pointer to put LIU up, 40-28 with 1:41 to play.
 
Wagner would surge to start the second half, using a three and a layup to close the gap to three points. The rest of the half was a battle, but every time the Seahawks came close, freshman Jashaun Agosto would score to help put LIU back on top.
 
Sophomore Raiquan Clark had a clutch three-point play with 7:57 to go that would widen the lead to 62-56, but just two minutes later, Wagner turned up the heat. The Seahawks would outscore LIU 8-3, putting the pressure on until just under the three-minute mark, when a layup from Wagner's Mike Aaman tied the game for the first time, 67-67.
 
But the Blackbirds would break away down the home stretch, led by Frink. The senior had a layup up at 2:14 and was fouled, converting the and-one to break the tie and keep Wagner from ever taking the lead. 30 seconds later, he hit a jumper to put LIU up five points.
 
Aaman would have a tip in with 20 seconds left that gave Wagner hope and putting them within six points, but freshman Julian Batts snagged a late steal and made three of his four free throws to help widen LIU's lead to 76-69.  Frink iced the win in the final second with a steal that prevented any more Seahawk scoring, and the Blackbirds took their sixth-straight victory over a league opponent.
 
NOTES FROM THE NEST

• With the win, LIU remains in a three-way tie for first place in the conference standings, with Fairleigh Dickinson and Mount St. Mary's.
• Freshman Jashaun Agosto led all scorers with 19 points, along with a team-high four assists.
• Senior Jerome Frink scored in double digits for the 30th-straight game, with 15 points, along with seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
• Senior Iverson Fleming added 10 points and a team-high four assists.
• The game was another total team effort. Sophomore Raiquan Clark had nine points and five rebounds, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line, while sophomore Raul Frias had nine points, shooting 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Freshman Julian Batts added six points, four rebounds and two steals, while senior Nura Zanna had a game-high seven rebounds, along with three points and two assists. And sophomore Julius van Sauers had five points, four rebounds and a game-high three blocks.
• Up next, the Blackbirds head over the river to New Jersey, in what will be a first-place face off, taking on Fairleigh Dickinson, Saturday, January 21 at 4 p.m.