MECHANICSBURG, PA. -- With a 1-1 second day, the LIU Brooklyn bowling team wrapped up the first round of Northeast Conference regular season play at 2-4, with the next two sets of round robin play to be held in February. On Sunday, the Blackbirds lost their first match, 2-4 to Mount St. Mary's, but rallied back to beat No. 9 Fairleigh Dickinson by a similar 4-2 score at ABC West Lanes in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Following a bye round to start Sunday's competition, the Blackbirds matched up against the newest member of NEC bowling, Mount, a first-year program off to a fast start in best-of-seven baker format bowling. In that match, LIU got down early, losing the first three games, 173-181, 148-158 and 168-205, before bouncing back to take the next two, 216-176 and 197-115. But the Blackbirds got edged out in the sixth game, 212-217, to close it out.
Then against FDU, LIU won three of the first four games (191-180, 158-174, 179-136, 173-125), to put the pressure on the Knights, before coming away with the win in six games with FDU taking game five 149-160 and LIU returning the favor in game six 166-156.
The No. 19 Blackbirds (24-22), in a three-way tie in fourth place (2-4 NEC), will now have an extended midseason break for finals and the holidays, before resuming competition over the third weekend in January in Limerick, Pa. at the Kutztown Invitational.