SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team has six games left in the regular season, and start the final push for a Northeast Conference playoff spot at 7 p.m., Thursday, February 8, taking on the Bryant Bulldogs (8-17, 5-7 NEC) in Smithfield, R.I. The Blackbirds (14-11, 7-5 NEC) then return home to face one of the tougher teams in the conference, welcoming Fairleigh Dickinson (10-13, 8-4 NEC) to the Steinberg Wellness Center, Saturday, February 11 at 4:30 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- With senior team captain Jerome Frink missing his first game in two years, and redshirt junior Nura Zanna limited by foul trouble, LIU saw its freshmen and sophomores step up to take the lead Saturday in the Steinberg Wellness Center. The Blackbirds nearly beat Saint Francis in a big Northeast Conference matchup, but fell in the final seconds to the Red Flash, 80-78.
- Four Blackbirds scored in double digits, led by freshman point guard Jashaun Agosto, who had 19 points. Classmate Julian Batts had a career-high 14 points, along with a game and career-high seven assists. Senior Iverson Fleming added 12 points, while sophomore Julius van Sauers had a career-high 11 points.
- After beating FDU in overtime 73-72 two weeks ago, Bryant has dropped back-to-back contests, and are currently in a three-way tie for six place in the conference standings. The Bulldogs have a tenuous hold on the final playoff spot right now, but surging CCSU is just two games back. Last weekend, Bryant fell to Mount St. Mary's (77-70) and Sacred Heart (73-70 OT) on the road, but return home for five of the final six games of the season.
- The Bulldogs' main weapon is sophomore Nisre Zousoua, the leading point scorer in the conference. The 6-2 guard averages 20.1 points per game, along with 4.3 rebounds per game, 1.7 steals per game, and 1.3 assists per game.
- Freshman Adam Grant is next on the team, scoring 14.1 points per game, while sophomore Marcel Pettway rounds out the top scorers, chipping in 10.0 points per game.
- Last time the two teams met in Brooklyn, the Blackbirds took the win, 74-63, on New Year's Eve to close out 2016 with a win. LIU was led by Frink, who had 23 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and two steals, while Agosto added 17 points and nine assists. More impressively, however, the point guard had zero turnovers in 35 minutes of play, for a 99.0 assists to turnover ratio.
- FDU will host CCSU Thursday, before traveling to take on LIU Saturday afternoon. The Knights were in the top spot in the conference at 7-1 after their defeat of LIU earlier in the year, but have dropped three straight to move to 8-4 and in a tie for second place. The Knights lost to Bryant, 73-72 in OT, and followed that up with home losses to Sacred Heart (74-70) and Wagner (68-59).
- The Knights have three players averaging in double figures, led by junior guard Darian Anderson, who puts up 17.4 points per game. Junior guard Stephan Jiggetts is next, adding 14.0 points per game and 4.3 assists per game, while sophomore forward Mike Holloway adds 11.4 points per game, and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.
- Last time LIU and FDU faced off, the Knights took the win, 83-66. FDU forced 18 LIU turnovers, including on nine steals, and held LIU to a 33.3 field goal percentage. Four Knights scored in double figures, led by Anderson's 25 points, while Frink led LIU with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- Both games this weekend will stream live on NECFrontRow.com, while both of next week's games will air on national TV. Wednesday's contest at St. Francis will be on CBS Sports Network, while Saturday's game against Sacred Heart will air on MSG Network.