EMMITSBURG, Md. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team surged from a 13-point deficit to cut the lead to just two points with 37 seconds left Thursday night in Knott Arena, but Mount St. Mary's was able to hold on to take the win, 86-80. The Blackbirds were led by senior Joel Hernandez's career-high 29 points, while junior Raiquan Clark had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Eral Penn added 10 points and seven rebounds in the late game push.
 
Mount would use the home court advantage early on, feeing off the energy from a raucous crowd to take an 8-4 lead in the first three minutes of the game. But Hernandez took control at that point, making a layup and a three pointer as a part of a 7-0 run for LIU that gave them an 11-8 lead. The home team would answer with seven unanswered points of its own, and the two teams would continue to trade the lead back and for from there. Hernandez and Jashaun Agosto hit back to back threes to give LIU the lead, 19-17 with 11:57 to play, and the Blackbirds would widen the lead just three minutes later. Junior Raul Frias hit a three and Penn had a left-side layup that opened up the gap to six points, 25-19 at 8:16.
 
Though Mount would come surging back, senior Jamall Robinson hit two straight treys that would keep LIU on top, 31-29. The Mountaineers would take the lead back just before the two-minute mark on free throws, but eight seconds later, a layup from Clark tied it back up, 37-37. A layup from Frias with 35 seconds left tied it up again at 39-39, but Mount would make a tip-in layup with one second left in the half to take the lead into the break, 41-39.
 
The Mountaineers started strong again in the second half, and this time it was harder for the Blackbirds to shake. The home team would go on an 11-2 run, taking a 52-41 lead at 16:09, forcing LIU to call a timeout. LIU would chip away at the lead with some help from Mount foul trouble, but another run by the Mountaineers made it harder. The home team would go on a 9-2 run over two minutes, making three-straight three pointers that widened the lead to 12 points, 61-49.
 
Mount's Junior Robinson also continued to cause trouble for LIU, as his five straight points at 7:58 widened the gap to 13 points, the biggest lead of the game, 71-59. But the Blackbirds would battle back in the final five minutes, and were able to come within two points of the home team. Due to Mount foul trouble, LIU was in the bonus for the last six minutes, and took advantage of it. Clark, Hernandez and Penn combined to score seven straight free throw points, and Hernandez cut it to just two points with his three at 3:07, 77-75. Robinson gave the Blackbirds another chance to overcome their hosts with 37 seconds left in the game. The redshirt senior drained a three from the right wing that cut the lead to 82-80, but Mount would go 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final eight seconds to seal the win, 86-80.   
 
NOTES FROM THE NEST

• With the loss, LIU moves to 9-13 overall, 4-5 in the NEC, while MSM improves to 11-11, 5-4 in league play.
• Senior Joel Hernandez had a career-high 29 points in the loss, including shooting 9-for-16 from the field, and 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
• Junior Raiquan Clark had his fourth double-double of the season, with 15 points and 12 rebounds, along with four assists. Freshman Eral Penn added 10 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the charity stripe, along with seven rebounds, in just 16 minutes of action.
• Senior Jamall Robinson added nine points (on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range), while junior Raul Frias added eight points.
• Mount had four players score in double figures: Robinson (24 points), Jonah Antonio (21 points, 4-for-8 from long distance), Greg Alexander (19 points, 6-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range), and Donald Carey (13 points).
• The Mountaineers made 13 three pointers in the win, shooting 63.6 percent from behind the arc, and 56.5 percent from the field.
• Up next, the Blackbirds return to the Steinberg Wellness Center to host Central Connecticut State for a rematch of last weekend's game, Saturday, January 27 at 4:30 p.m.