STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half Saturday afternoon in the Spiro Sports Center, but the Blackbirds rallied in the final two minutes of the game to force overtime against Wagner, and eventually take the win over the Seahawks, 88-84.

With the win, which was LIU's sixth straight, the 2016-17 team finishes the regular season 20-11 overall, and 13-5 in the Northeast Conference. It's the first 20-win season for the Blackbirds since 2012-13, and helped clinch the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Conference tournament for LIU.

The Blackbirds had four different players score in double digits in the win, led by senior Jerome Frink's 24 points and 11 rebounds, while classmate Iverson Fleming added 23 points; LIU shot 50 percent from the field in the victory.

Wagner led for the majority of the game Saturday afternoon. After LIU used a three-pointer from Frink and a long jumper from freshman Julian Batts to go up 5-0 in the first minute of play, Wagner turned up the heat. An 8-2 run by the Seahawks put them on top for the first time, 8-7 at 15:27, and the home team widened the gap with an 8-0 run three minutes later, that put Wagner ahead 16-11. Redshirt junior Nura Zanna would close the lead back to two points with his traditional three-point play at 11:36, but another 11-5 run by the Seahawks would put Wagner up by eight, 27-19. As the half ran down, sophomores Raiquan Clark and Julius van Sauers would combined to score four points each of an 8-3 run that helped LIU come within two points, 40-38 at the break.

Wagner took the upper hand early in the second half, and used a 9-0 run five minutes in to help widen the gap to 12, 56-44. LIU was able to keep it close, as a three-pointer from Fleming would cut it to four, 58-54, but Wagner's Corey Henson hit his six three-pointer of the game at 6:22, helping the home team take the 63-55 lead with 6:22 to play.

The Blackbirds started to turn the heat up with just over five minutes left to play. Zanna and Fleming would hit back-to-back layups, and Frink made one a minute later that would tie it up, 66-66 with 3:10 to go. 40 seconds later, Clark got a defensive rebound and took it end to end, making the layup to put the Blackbirds on top for the first time since the start of the game, 68-66. Wagner senior Michael Carey would make a layup and a free throw as a part of his 24-point effort to put the Seahwaks back on top, 69-68, and the two teams battled from there. Frink would hit a three-pointer at 1:50 off a pass from Jashaun Agosto, who finished with seven assists, but Henson, who led all scorers with 25 points, would hit a three just 30 seconds later, and Wagner led, 73-71.

In the final 90 seconds of action, Fleming and Zanna would both go 1-of-2 from the free throw line, in an effort that was enough to tie the score up, 73-73. Though both teams had late shots to win it all, neither team was able to convert, and the Blackbirds sent the game into overtime.

In the extra period, Henson struck first, with a jumper that would put Wagner up, 76-74. But Fleming answered just 11 seconds later, with a three point shot from the corner to put the Blackbirds back on top, 77-76. The senior would also hit a three pointer from the left win with 26 seconds to go, in a shot that gave the Blackbirds the 84-80 advantage.

In the final 15 seconds of the game, Agosto and Fleming would go a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, preventing the Seahawks from making a comeback, and icing the win for LIU, 88-84.

Up next, the Blackbirds host the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference tournament. No. 2 seed LIU, who was selected to play in a game that will air on MSG and FCS networks, will host No. 7 seed Robert Morris, Wednesday, March 1 at 9 p.m.

NOTES FROM THE NEST

• The Blackbirds shot 50 percent from the field in the win, and 42.9 percent from three point range. LIU also out-rebounded Wagner, 41-34.
• Senior Jerome Frink had 13^th double double of the season, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
• Senior Iverson Fleming finished with 23 points, while freshman Jashaun Agosto had 12 points and a game-high seven assists.
• Sophomore Raiquan Clark had his first career double double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, while junior Nura Zanna had 11 points and six rebounds.