NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team will look to extend its three-game Northeast Conference winning streak this weekend, taking on the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, Saturday, January 20 at 3:30 p.m. in Detrick Gymnasium. Both teams are coming off of wins last Thursday, and will play the second part of a doubleheader with the CCSU women taking on St. Francis Brooklyn at 1 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- The Blackbirds won their third-straight Northeast Conference game Thursday night, beating the Bryant Bulldogs in the Steinberg Wellness Center, 83-79. It was a total team win for LIU, as Joel Hernandez and Raiquan Clark both had 20+ point performances, and sophomore Julian Batts and Jashaun Agosto flirted with triple doubles.
- Hernandez led LIU with 22 points, while Clark added 21 points in the win. Agosto had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Batts finished with 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. With the win, LIU moves to 9-11 overall, and 4-3 in the NEC.
- CCSU enters Saturday with 10-10 overall record, and 3-4 in the NEC. The Blue Devils have won two straight, and are 6-1 at home this season.
- Thursday night, CCSU beat Fairleigh Dickinson 66-65, in a game that came down to the final seconds. Junior center Deion Bute led his team in the win, with a career-high 22 points, including the game-winning dunk. The Blue Devils also beat Bryant last week, and one of the league-leaders Saint Francis U to open the season, 76-73.
- Junior guard/forward Tyler Kohl is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.3 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game.
- Three other Blue Devils average in double figures: senior forward Mustafa Jones (11.2 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game), junior center Deion Bute (11.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and junior guard Austin Nehls (10.3 points per game).
- Up next, the Blackbirds continue the road swing by heading south to take on Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Md., in a game that will air on CBS Sports Network, Thursday, January 25 at 9 p.m.