MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team got off to a slow start Thursday night at the Sewall Center. But once the Blackbirds got going, Robert Morris could do nothing to stop them, as the Blackbirds soared to a 65-54 win over the Colonials. Senior Jerome Frink and junior Nura Zanna both had double-doubles for LIU in the win, which moved the Blackbirds to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in the Northeast Conference.

The Blackbirds struggled with shooting in the early going, hitting only three of 12 shots in the first seven minutes of action. Robert Morris would leap out to a 12-6 lead, in part by forcing four LIU turnovers in that span. The Blackbirds started to battle back around the ten-minute mark in the first half, led by senior Jerome Frink. Frink would convert a three-point play, and hit a jump shot as a part of a 7-0 run that would put LIU up for the first time, 13-12 at 10:40.

LIU would lead from there, though Robert Morris stayed close. The Colonials would retake the lead briefly, 24-23 with three minutes left in the half, but just 10 seconds later, Julian Batts would make a layup that gave LIU the lead for good. The freshman would finish the half going coast-to-coast and making another layup as the buzzer sounded, to give LIU a 33-28 lead at the break.

LIU would extend the run that Batts started in the second half. Senior Nura Zanna opened scoring with a layup, and freshman Jashaun Agosto drained a three for the Blackbirds. On RMU's next trip down the court, senior Iverson Fleming forced a steal and made the fast break layup to cap LIU's 7-0 run, putting the visitors up 12, 40-28. That lead would extend to as many as 20 points in the second half, when a layup by sophomore Julius van Sauers widened the gap to 59-39 with 4:27 to play.

The Colonials showed signs of life in the final two minutes of the contest, stringing together a 12-2 run that would close the lead to single digits, but it would not be enough to overcome the deficit, and the Blackbirds took the win, 65-54.

BLACKBIRD BITS

• The Colonials (5-11, 1-2 NEC) were without starting point guard Kavon Stewart; the team's leading scorer, sophomore guard Isaiah Still was also negated, as the Blackbirds held him to just seven points on 2-of-14 shooting.
• RMU forced 21 LIU turnovers, including 12 steals for the home team, but the Colonials couldn't convert the chances, scoring just 18 points off of turnovers.
• LIU outrebounded Robert Morris, 43-20, their widest rebounding margin of the season. The Blackbirds also outscored RMU in the paint, 44-24, and were a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line as a team.
• LIU made just two threes, shooting 2-for-14 from long range.
• The Blackbirds had four players score in double digits, led by double-doubles from Frink and Zanna. Senior Jerome Frink finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while junior Nura Zanna had 12 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Senior Iverson Fleming added 11 points and five assists, while freshman Jashaun Agosto had 11 points.
• Up next, the Blackbirds travel to take on Saint Francis U., Saturday, January 7. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.