MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team was within three points of a victory Thursday night at the 2017 Jamaica Classic, as a three-pointer from Zach Coleman had the Blackbirds down, 76-74 against Miami (Ohio) with four seconds left to play, but the Red Hawks were able to eke out the win, 78-74. With the loss, LIU moves to 1-3 on the season, while Miami improves to 3-0.

Seniors Joel Hernandez and Zach Coleman each had big games for LIU in the tournament opener; Hernandez finished as the leading scorer, with 25 points, along with nine rebounds and five assists, while Coleman had a career-high 20 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

LIU would take an early lead, going up one minute into the game when Coleman hit a three-pointer to put the Blackbirds on the board first, 3-0. The two teams would trade the lead back and forth from there. LIU would go up on a layup from sophomore Jashaun Agosto, 11-9 with 13 minutes to play, but the Red Hawks would score just 20 seconds later to knot it up once more. Junior Raiquan Clark gave LIU its last lead of the day when he made a fast break layup at 8:12 to put the Blackbirds up, 19-18. But the next time Miami went up, they stayed there. In the final five minutes of the half, the Red Hawks put together an 11-0 run to widen the gap to 34-21. Held scoreless for the final six minutes of play, the Blackbirds shot 0-for-9 from the field in that span, contributing to the teams' 22.9 first half shooting percentage.

A reinvigorated LIU squad came out after the half, however, and got right to work. Coleman hit a three pointer on the first play, and from there, the Blackbirds went on a 10-2 run over the first two minutes of the half. LIU would cut the lead to 36-31 when Hernandez hit a three-pointer at 18:43. The Blackbirds kept it at five points with help from a three-pointer from sophomore Julian Batts at 17:02, but Miami would widen the lead back up to double digits. The Red Hawks would score six unanswered points to make it an 11-point gap, and would continue to hold LIU at arm's length; every time the Blackbirds got close, the Hawks would find a way to retake control of the game.

An 8-0 run would make it 57-43 for the Red Hawks at 11:46 and six minutes later, Miami had its widest lead of the game, 67-52 with 5:29 to play.

But the Blackbirds started to chip away at the lead. Hernandez hit two free throws, and Coleman would drain another three pointer to cut it to ten with 4:57 to go. It was a part of a 10-1 run that included another trey for Coleman at 3:19 that cut the lead to six, 68-62. Hernandez would convert a traditional three-point play at 2:59 to cut the gap to five, 70-65, but Miami scored four straight points to give them a slight cushion once more.

Hernandez would get a put-back layup, and then Batts hit a three with 57 seconds on the clock to make it a four-point game. Coleman would come up big once more, draining a three pointer with just four seconds left to play that put the game within reach, 76-74, but Miami would make two last second free throws and take the win, 78-74.

NOTES FROM THE NEST

• It's the third time this season that the Blackbirds have been within single digits in the final two minutes and lost.
• The Red Hawks had four different players score in double figures.
• Joel Hernandez led all players with 25 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from long range.
• Zach Coleman had a career-high 20 points in the loss, including six three pointers. He also had three steals and nine rebounds.
• Raiquan Clark finished with 15 points, while Jashaun Agosto had six assists, six steals, four points and four rebounds.
• Up next, the Blackbirds play Hartford, Saturday, November 18 at 5:30 p.m.