FAIRFIELD, CONN. – Sacred Heart tied the game up with 51 seconds on the clock Thursday night in the William H. Pitt Center, but the LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team was able to pull ahead with a layup from junior Nura Zanna 20 seconds later and hold on to the lead from there, beating the Pioneers, 60-57. The Blackbirds, who were led by 22 points from senior Iverson Fleming, improve to 14-8 overall, and 7-2 in the Northeast Conference with the win.

The game was a battle throughout, as the score would be tied six times, the lead changed hands seven times, and neither team ever led by more than seven points.

The Pioneers took an early lead to start the game, as the Blackbirds struggled to get their offense going. SHU would go up 10-3 in the first five minutes, while LIU shot 1-for-6 from the field and had four turnovers in that span. Freshman Julian Batts hit a three pointer at 13:33 that helped the Blackbirds find their bearings. His trey sparked a 9-0 run by LIU that would put them up, 12-10 with nine minutes left in the first half. Though SHU would fight back to retake the lead, a three pointer by senior Jerome Frink put LIU up by six, 24-18, and Batts made two free throws to close out stanza that gave the Blackbirds a 26-23 lead at halftime.

LIU opened the second half on an 8-2 run that would give the Blackbirds their widest lead of the game, 34-27 with 15:58 to play. Sacred Heart continued to chip away at the lead, however, and six minutes later, tied the game up on a three pointer, 43-43. Senior Iverson Fleming would make back-to-back layups for LIU, and a long jumper from Frink made it 51-45 with 7:39 to play.

Over the next two minutes, SHU outscored the Blackbirds 7-2, cutting the lead to just one point, 53-52, and would eventually tie it up with a three pointer, 57-57 with 51 ticks on the clock. But Zanna hit a big time layup with 27 seconds left, and Jashaun Agosto added a made free throw with 13 seconds on the clock to widen the lead back up to three points. Sacred Heart had the ball for the last possession of the game, but strong defense by the Blackbirds prevented the Pioneers from getting a good shot up, and LIU took the win, 60-57.

NOTES FROM THE NEST

• The Blackbirds shot 52 percent from the field in the second half, after shooting 31.2 percent in the first half.
• LIU's five starters were the only five players to score in the game, as the Blackbirds had zero points scored off the bench for the first time this season.
• Senior Iverson Fleming led LIU, scoring 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting.
• Senior Jerome Frink had his ninth double double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, along with two blocks and two steals.
• Junior Nura Zanna had eight points and ten rebounds, while freshman Jashaun Agosto had eight points, four rebounds and five assists. Freshman Julian Batts added nine points in the win, shooting 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Quincy McKnight led SHU with 16 points, while Mario Matasovic had 13 and Joseph Lopez added 10. Sacred Heart moved to 8-14, 3-6 in the NEC with the loss.
• Up next, the Blackbirds take on Central Connecticut State, Saturday, January 28 at 3:30 p.m.