BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team, winners of three-straight Northeast Conference games, will look to continue their winning ways at home Thursday night, hosting Saint Francis U. in the Steinberg Wellness Center. The game is a big one, as the two teams are currently both a part of a four-way tie for third place in the NEC standings, with just three weeks left in the regular season.
QUICK HITS
- LIU won back-to-back games on the road last weekend, beating Sacred Heart, 69-60, and Bryant, 84-71 on Saturday.
- Senior Joel Hernandez and sophomore Julian Batts shot the lights out in the Chace Athletic Center Saturday, both hitting career highs en route to a win over Bryant. Hernandez had 32 points, besting a previous career-high set on Thursday, while Batts had 27 points, including seven three-pointers made. The sophomore was just one trey shy of tying LIU's single game record for three-pointers made in a game (8), set by LIU Hall of Famer Charles Jones.
- With the win, their third-straight, the Blackbirds improve to 12-13 overall, and 7-5 in the Northeast Conference.
- Hernandez's outstanding performance in two games last weekend has earned him a slew of weekly honors. He was named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week by College Insider, NEC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, and College Sports Madness National Mid-Major Player of the Week. It is the first set of weekly honors for the guard in his career.
- The Teaneck, NJ product averaged 31.0 points on 48.9 percent shooting from the field, including 43.8 percent from three-point territory, and added 7.0 rebounds per game. Hernandez twice set career-highs in scoring. Hernandez is averaging 27.3 ppg over his last four contests and ranks second in the league with 20.2 ppg on the year.
- SFU comes to Brooklyn with a 13-10 overall record, and a matching 7-5 conference record. The Red Flash have had some good wins in NEC action, but have played inconsistently, losing some games by double digits (91-61, at Wagner), and some by the merest of margins (81-80 in OT to Mount St. Mary's, and 59-56 to MSM on Saturday).
- Last time the two teams faced off, SFU looked like one of the strongest teams in the league. LIU led at the halftime break, but the Red Flash would put together a scoring surge in the second half that the Blackbirds could not overcome, beating the Blackbirds 85-68.
- In the win over LIU, Saint Francis was led by 23 points from Jamaal King, 20 points from Andre Wolford, and 14 points and 14 rebounds from Keith Braxton. The Red Flash had 20 fast break points, and 19 points off of LIU's 13 turnovers, while LIU shot just 26.7 percent from long distance in the second half (4-for-15).
- Up next, LIU hosts the second half of the Pennsylvania contingent of the NEC, welcoming Robert Morris to the Steinberg Wellness Center, Saturday, February 10 at 4:30 p.m.