BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team is set for a midweek matchup with local rival St. Francis Brooklyn on the biggest of stages: national television. The 42^nd Annual Battle of Brooklyn is schedule to take place Wednesday, February 15 at 6 p.m. at the Pope Physical Education Center in Brooklyn Heights, and will air on CBS Sports Network and NEC Front Row.

QUICK HITS

• The Blackbirds (16-11, 9-5 NEC) are coming off two big Northeast Conference wins last weekend. LIU beat Bryant in overtime on the road, before returning home to the Steinberg Wellness Center Saturday, where they beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 75-69. With the win, LIU clinched a spot in the NEC Tournament, and moved into a tie for second place in the standings with the Knights.
• Senior Jerome Frink led LIU in both games, and was named NEC Player of the Week for his efforts. Frink averaged 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot 50.0 percent from the field. He also converted 50.0 percent from three-point territory, sinking 5-10 attempts. The Jersey City, N.J. native matched a career-high when he erupted for 30 points and added 10 boards in his NEC-best 12th double-double effort of the season as the Blackbirds secured an 88-85 overtime win at Bryant on Thursday. Frink added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in Saturday's 75-69 win over fellow NEC contender Fairleigh Dickinson. He leads the NEC with 9.3 rpg, and also ranks third in scoring (17.5), ninth in blocks (1.0) and tenth in field goal percentage (.489). Frink needs 30 points to reach 1,000 in less two years in Brooklyn.
• Though LIU leads the all-time series with St. Francis, 65-41, and the all-time Battle of Brooklyn standings, 23-18, the Terriers have won the last two Battle of Brooklyn contests. In 2016, SFBK took home the trophy beating LIU at home, 64-49.
• St. Francis enters the match-up with a 4-23 overall record, and 2-12 in conference action. Since opening the NEC season with overtime wins over Bryant and CCSU, the Terriers have been on a slide.
• A part of that slide was a 63-58 loss to the Blackbirds in the Steinberg Wellness Center in January. The win for LIU was a total team effort, as seniors Iverson Fleming (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Jerome Frink (15 points, 12 rebounds), along junior Nura Zanna (12 points, 11 rebounds) each had a double double for LIU, while freshman Jashaun Agosto chipped in 12 points. SFBK freshman Rasheem Dunn led all scorers in the game with 21 points and had eight rebounds, while Yunus Hopkinson had 16 points for the Terriers. LIU's defense held SFBK's leading scorer Glenn Sanabria (then averaging 14.4 ppg) to just three points in the win, on 1-of-13 shooting.
• This is the first of two TV games for the Blackbirds this week. Saturday, February 18, LIU will host Sacred Heart at 12 p.m., in a contest set to air on MSG Networks.