BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team faces one of its toughest opponents in Northeast Conference action this weekend, heading over the Verrazano Bridge to take on league-leading Wagner, Saturday, February 17 at 4 p.m. The Blackbirds (13-15, 8-6 NEC) will be looking to play spoiler Saturday, as the Seahawks, who are 12-3 in the NEC, will be attempting to clinch the NEC regular season championship and maintain their perfect 13-0 record in the Spiro Sports Center.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- LIU will be aiming to snap a two-game losing streak. The Blackbirds dropped a home game to Robert Morris last weekend, and fell to St. Francis Brooklyn on the road Thursday, 84-79.
- 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.
- Wagner was the first team in the conference to clinch a post season berth. They are 19-7 overall this season, and 12-3 in conference play. The Seahawks have won eight of their last nine games.
- One of their three losses in league play came to LIU in mid-January, when the Blackbirds beat the Seahawks in Brooklyn, 69-67.
- In that win, sophomore Julian Batts hit a layup with 1.8 seconds left to play, giving the Blackbirds the victory. Neither team ever led by more than single digits in the game.
- The two teams have a long-standing rivalry. This will be the 106th meeting between the two programs; LIU holds the all-time advantage, 60-45.
- The Seahawks are led by a trio of guards. Sophomore Blake Francis is the third leading scorer in the NEC, and leads the team with 18.3 points per game, while junior guard Romone Saunders adds 14.2 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. But the heart of the team is senior guard JoJo Cooper. Cooper not only averages 14.0 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game, but also leads the league with 6.42 assists per game.
- Limiting Cooper was key to LIU's win last time the two teams faced off. The Blackbirds' defense held Cooper to just 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Romone Saunders led the Seahawks with 18 points, while Blake Francis had 11 points.
- Up next, the Blackbirds host a rematch with St. Francis Brooklyn, in the annual Battle of Brooklyn game, Thursday, February 22 at 8 p.m. The game will air nationally on ESPN3.