BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team trailed Sacred Heart for most of the first half Saturday afternoon in the Steinberg Wellness Center, until a furious second half comeback saw the Blackbirds sneak away with the win on Senior Day, 83-82. Senior Iverson Fleming led the Blackbirds with 24 points on Senior Day, and had a huge block to save the game for the Blackbirds as the buzzer sounded.

Sophomore Raiquan Clark had another career night, with 17 points and seven rebounds, while redshirt junior Nura Zanna had his NEC best 13^th double double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The lead would change hands multiple times in the early minutes, with the score being tied five different times. Sacred Heart would start to shift momentum around the 12 minute mark, when Chris Robinson hit back-to-back three pointers to widen the Pioneer lead to 18-13. He went 4-for-4 in the first part of the game from downtown, including a three at 9:54 that made it 23-18 for the visitors.

Sacred Heart would widen the lead to as many as nine points in the first half, but LIU slowly chipped away at the lead. Freshman Jashaun Agosto had seven points over the final five minutes of the half, including a three pointer with 54 seconds left that would give the Blackbirds the lead, 47-44. Free throws by Sacred Heart cut the lead to one point, but LIU had the advantage at half time, 47-46.

Sacred Heart would retake the lead just once more in the contest, when a layup from De'von Barnett made it 59-58 for the visiting team. But LIU answered with a 9-0 run to solidify its hold on the lead. Clark started the spree with a layup, and senior Jerome Frink had a layup and two made free throws in the span. And
Fleming's three with 11:17 on the clock made it 67-59 for the Blackbirds.

The cushion would prove to be crucial for LIU as the clock ran down. The two teams would go shot for shot for the remainder of the game, and strong free throw shooting helped the Pioneers cut the lead to one point. Sacred Heart was within one in the final seconds of play, but Fleming would come out and block the long three attempt, helping LIU clinch the win as the buzzer sounded, 83-82.

NOTES FROM THE NEST

• With the win, LIU moves to 18-11 overall, and 11-5 in Northeast Conference action, while Sacred Heart falls to .
• Turnovers cost the Pioneers big time. The Blackbirds forced 21 turnovers by SHU in the game, including 14 steals. TLIU scored 23 points off of Pioneer fumbles.
• Senior Iverson Fleming led all players with 24 points.
• Raiquan Clark had a career high in points for the second straight game. This time, the sophomore had 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, along with seven rebounds and two steals.
• Freshman Jashaun Agosto filled the box score, with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Meanwhile, Nura Zanna had a double double, with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 12 rebounds.
• Senior Jerome Frink was held to just nine points and five rebounds Saturday, along with four assists, three steals and two blocks.
• Up next, the Blackbirds travel to Mount. St. Mary's to take on the league-leading Mountaineers, Thursday, February 23 at 7 pm