BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team fell to local rival St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday night, 84-79, in a back-and-forth battle at the Pope Physical Education Center. Junior Raiquan Clark led LIU in the loss, with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Jashaun Agosto had 18 points and eight assists. Despite the loss, the Blackbirds clinched a spot in the Northeast Conference tournament, and are currently tied for sixth in the standings with an 8-7 record in league play.
 
The contest was one of runs, as the score would tie nine times, and the lead changed hands 11 times. Early on, the two teams would go shot for shot, and the game was tied up, 11-11 five minutes into play. LIU would have a small run, as Zach Coleman, Joel Hernandez and Jashaun Agosto scored six unanswered points to go up, 17-11 at 14:06, but LIU wouldn't stay up for long. St. Francis Brooklyn would hit four straight three point shots over the next minute and a half, retaking the lead and widening it up to 27-20 with 12:05 left in the first half.
 
Eral Penn sparked a run for the Blackbirds to answer the spree, however. A layup and a dunk by the freshman helped LIU go on a 12-2 scoring surge. A dunk by junior Julius van Sauers made it 32-29 in favor of the Blackbirds at 8:09, and SFBK called a timeout.
 
In the final five minutes of the half, the Terriers would hit three more three pointers as a part of a 15-2 run that gave them the 48-39 lead with 1:21 in the half. And just 40 seconds into the second half, another three by SFBK widened the gap to ten points, 51-41. The Blackbirds would continue to chip away at the lead, and a three pointer from van Sauers cut the gap to just three points, 53-50 at 16:43, but another two threes from the Terriers would put the Blackbirds back on their heels, 61-50.
 
LIU started to gain momentum after the under 12 media in the second half. The Blackbirds would string together 11 unanswered points, including a three pointer from senior Jamall Robinson, that would make it 66-64 in favor of LIU at 8:18. St. Francis would come back to tie it up at 70-70 just before the five-minute mark, and the rest of a game was a brawl. Though LIU was able to convert late offensive possessions, the terriers went 7-for-7 from the free throw line as time ran down, assuring the home team the win, 84-79.
 
NOTES FROM THE NEST

• The Blackbirds shot 50.8 percent from the field, but just 26.3 percent from long range. St. Francis shot 48.4 percent from the field, and had 13 three-pointers made, on 29 taken (.448).
• Junior Raiquan Clark had 24 points to tie the game high, along with 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Clark went 7-for-11 from the field, and 10-for-13 from the free throw line.
• Sophomore Jashaun Agosto flirted with a double double of his own, scoring 18 points and dishing out eight assists. He also had four rebounds and four steals in the loss.
• Senior Joel Hernandez chipped in 13 points, while sophomore Julian Batts added nine. Freshman Eral Penn had four points, four blocks and five rebounds for LIU.
• SFBK had three players in double figures, led by Rasheem Dunn. Dunn had 24 points, including going 4-for-7 from three-point range, while freshman Jalen Jordan had 20 points and Mikija Cosic had 12.
• Up next, the Blackbirds travel to Staten Island to take on Wagner, Saturday, February 17 at 4 p.m.