BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team has hit the road for the first time this season, heading north to take on Fairfield in the first game of a three-game road swing that will hit both coasts and the Midwest. The Blackbirds will take on the Stags at Webster Bank Arena this Tuesday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader with the LIU Brooklyn women's team, who will also take on Fairfield Tuesday. The two teams will tip off the twin bill at 5 pm.
QUICK HITS
- The Blackbirds are coming off a wild win over Brown at home Friday night. LIU led by as many as 15 and trailed by as many as 11 to the Bears, but the Blackbirds went on top when it mattered most, taking the lead with one second left on the clock, and eventually beating the Bears, 83-81. With the win, LIU moves to 2-0 early on the season.
- Julian Batts led the Blackbirds with 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. He also had six rebounds, a team-high four steals and two assists.
- Raiquan Clark, Jashaun Agosto and Eral Penn also scored in double digits, as Clark had 14 points, Agosto had 12 points (including the game-winning free throws) and four assists, and Penn had 10 points for the second straight game.
- Julius van Sauers had nine points and nine rebounds for LIU, while Raul Frias had five points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
- Fairfield is 1-1 on the season, having opened with two games on the road. Most recently, they beat Bucknell, 60-58, on a last second layup. Prior to that, the Stags opened the season falling to #22 Purdue, 90-57.
- The Stags have been led early this season by freshman guard Neftali Alvarez, who had the game-winning bucket against Bucknell, and who is averaging 16.0 points per game. Junior guard Landon Taliaferro is the only other Fairfield player in double digits this season, averaging 11.5 points through the first two games.
- The two teams faced off last season in the Barclays Center, with the Stags taking a late win, 76-72. The Blackbirds were within three points in the final 15 seconds, but couldn't mount enough of a comeback. LIU senior Joel Hernandez led all players with 23 points and nine rebounds. The Blackbirds, normally an 80 percent free-throw shooting team, struggled from the line against the Stags, shooting just 67 percent.
- Tickets for the LIU doubleheader can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or by visiting the Webster Bank Arena box office. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN+.
- Up next, the Blackbirds head west to begin play in the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic. LIU will open tournament play taking on the University of San Francisco, Sunday, November 18 at 10 p.m. ET, before heading to Milwaukee to take on the Panthers, Tuesday, November 20 at 8 p.m. ET.