MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team capped their picturesque trip to Jamaica in a picture-perfect way Saturday night, beating Hartford, 86-84. Four different LIU players scored in double figures in the win, and senior Joel Hernandez and junior Raiquan Clark were named to the All-Tournament team for their play over the week.
 
Clark was the team's leading scorer Saturday, putting up 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds, shooting 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Sophomore Jashaun Agosto had 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, seven assists and six rebounds. Zach Coleman went 4-for-8 from three for 14 points, while Joel Hernandez had 10 points and four assists for LIU. Raul Frias and Jamall Robinson both had season highs in the win, with nine and eight points respectively.
 
The Blackbirds jumped out to an early 7-2 lead on the Hawks in the lone game of the day, using a three from Coleman to start scoring. Hartford would come back to tie it up and take the lead, 13-10 at 15:06, but a three-pointer by Coleman would put LIU back on top, 22-21 at 11:32. The Blackbirds would lead for the remainder of the half. At one point, a 13-2 run by LIU would widen the lead to 15 points, 41-26 with just over five minutes left to play. The Hawks would cut the gap back down to single digits, but LIU led 50-44 at the break.
 
The second half proved to be a much more back and forth affair, with the Hawks starting to make up ground. Hartford would score three straight baskets to cut the lead to just one point, 53-52, and though LIU would regain its footing, the Hawks kept pursuing. Hartford would eventually tie it up at 61-61 with 12:57 on the clock. Just over a minute later, the Hawks would retake the lead for the first time since the first half, 68-67.
 
Over the next two minutes, the teams went back and forth, trading the lead multiple times. But a layup from Raiquan Clark gave LIU a four-point lead, 77-73, and the Blackbirds used the momentum from there. A jumper from Agosto and another layup from Clark pushed the score to 81-73 with 4:34 to play, a cushion LIU would need as time ran down. The Hawks would hit a big three with three minutes left to play, and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to cut the lead to just four points, 86-82 with 1:16 on the clock. Hartford then made a layup with 40 seconds left, coming within two points of the Blackbirds. LIU would miss a three on their final possession of the game, giving the Hawks the ball with 15 seconds to play. Though Hartford would get the ball down court and get off a last-second three-point attempt, it fell short, and the Blackbirds secured the rebound and the win, 86-84.
 
With the victory, LIU moves to 2-3 on the year, while Hartford is now 2-2. Up next, the Blackbirds take on UMass Lowell on the road, Wednesday, November 22 at 3:00 p.m.