BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team hung on to win their first overtime game of the season Saturday afternoon in the Steinberg Wellness Center, beating Central Connecticut State, 94-89. The Blackbirds led by as many as 18 points in the second half before the Blue Devils would battle back to tie the game as the buzzer sounded in regulation. A late three-pointer from senior Joel Hernandez gave LIU the push it needed to retake the lead in the final minute of OT and beat CCSU by 5, to move to 5-5 in Northeast Conference play.
 
Hernandez was just one of five Blackbirds to finish with double digit points, led by junior Raiquan Clark's 30-point effort. Hernandez finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, for his third double double of the season. Senior Jamall Robinson added a season-high 16 points, while sophomore Jashaun Agosto had 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds and sophomore Julian Batts added 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
 
The Blackbirds led for most of the game, starting at 11:41, when a three-pointer from Batts put LIU on top, 17-14. From there, Clark would score three straight points to widen the lead to six, 20-14. Though CCSU would keep it as close as one point in the first half, the Blackbirds stayed in control of the contest. A 7-0 run, including back-to-back buckets from Robinson made it 35-27 with 6:51 to play, before Robinson hit one of his four three-pointers to make it 38-29, the widest lead of the game so far. Another Robinson three in the final minute made it 48-37, and LIU would take a 48-39 advantage into the halftime break.
 
The Blackbirds pushed the pace coming out the break, and used a 12-0 run that spanned four minutes to widen the gap to 18 points, 64-46 with 14:42 to play. But just five minutes later, the visiting team would start to string together a 12 -2 run, cutting the lead back down to single digits. CCSU's Tyler Kohl scored seven of those points, including back-to-back layups that would close the distance to 71-65 with 5:56 to play. Thought LIU would start to reclaim their lead, another late run by the Blue Devils made it a closer contest than the Blackbirds had hoped. A 10-3 scoring spree would see the visiting team tie the game up with less an 1:30 to play. Hernandez would tip a shot in with 11 seconds left, seemingly giving the Blackbirds the 82-80 advantage, but CCSU's Deion Bute would grab a late offensive rebounds and put it back in as the buzzer sounded to tie it up, 82-82.
 
CCSU would ride that late momentum into the overtime, dominating for the first three minutes, scoring five straight points to take the 87-83 lead. But junior Raiquan Clark would manage back-to-back buckets to tie it up, 87-87, with 1:22 to play. Then with 44 seconds left in OT, Hernandez gave LIU the lead with a clutch three-pointer, 90-89. From there, Agosto and Hernandez went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to seal the victory, 94-89.
 
NOTES FROM THE NEST

• Raiquan Clark had his second-highest point total of the season, scoring 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 9-of-11 shooting from the free throw line. He also had six rebounds and a steal in the win.
• Senior Joel Hernandez had 18 points and 12 rebounds for his third double double of the year.
• Senior Jamall Robinson went 6-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-7 from three-point range, to finish with a season-high 16 points.
• Sophomore Jashaun Agosto had 13 points and a season-high eight assists, along with six rebounds.
• Sophomore Julian Batts had 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, along with five rebounds and three assists.
• Tyler Kohl led the Blue Devils with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He was one of six Blue Devils to score in double figures.
• Up next, the Blackbirds head north to take on Sacred Heart in an ESPNU game, Thursday, February 1 at 9 p.m.