NEC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

HOWELL, N.J. - The LIU Brooklyn bowling team bowed out of the 2018 Northeast Conference Championship on Day two, following consecutive losses to No. 3 Saint Francis U. and No. 4 St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon, at Howell Lanes in Central New Jersey.

In the first-ever NEC mega match in the morning session, the Blackbirds faced Saint Francis U., who won two matches on Friday in the qualifying rounds to enter the main draw. A mega match is a 5-game total pinfall baker match, followed by a traditional match. If a team is up 2-0 they are awarded the win, but if the score is tied 1-1 at that point, a best-of-seven baker match will then decide which team moves on.

The Red Flash started the five-game baker total pinfall match, where every pin counts towards the team's score, with their strongest game, throwing a 203 to top LIU's 186. But the Blackbirds flipped the match in games two and three, winning 194-140 and 188-151, respectively, to turn a 17-pin deficit into a 91-pin lead they would not surrender. SFU rebounded in games four and five, beating LIU 201-172 and 202-173, but the final score of the baker total pindall match was 913-897 in favor of LIU.

Next up in the mega match was traditional play and the Red Flash won, 1000-909, winning all five head-to-head battles in the match. Senior Kristina Genova had the best traditional match with a 202, followed by junior Kayla Johnson (191), sophomore Tyler Karpinecz (184) and seniors Lauren McKowen (178) and Alyssa Balicki (154).

The split forced a third match, a best-of-seven baker match, as the first school to win four games would move on to the winner's bracket. Once again, the Red Flash came out strong, winning the first three games, 211-137, 225-157, and 195-172, to take a commanding 3-0 lead. But the resilient Blackbirds fought back, taking games four and five with 200+ scores, 207-138 and 243-181. The 243 was the team's highest game score in the Championship. Then in game six, LIU finished two pins shy of sending the match into a deciding seventh game, falling 193-191.

LIU moved into the loser's bracket for the afternoon session, with a very common opponent, St. Francis Brooklyn. The Terriers had their backs against the wall on Friday and prevailed over Duquesne to move to Saturday - but now after losing to Sacred Heart, the team on the short side of the final Battle of Brooklyn of the season would be heading back home.

Against the Terriers, the Blackbirds took the early lead in a second mega match, starting with five game baker total pinfall again. LIU won game one (179-164) and game two (220-183) before the momentum switched in game three. SFBK won game three, 226-127, to turn a 52-point deficit into a lead they would not squander. The Terriers threw a second 200+ game in game four to win 203-193 and extend their lead further. LIU took a significant chunk of the lead back, claiming game five, 194-142, but fell in the match 913-918, putting their backs squarely up against the wall.

The Blackbirds would now have to win the traditional part of the mega match to send it into a deciding best-of-seven. But the difficult lane conditions proved to be too much to handle, for both teams in traditional play, and LIU fell by nine pins, 885-876. Freshman Stephanie Judkins, inserted into the lineup for the first time in the tournament, gave LIU a boost, throwing a team-best 185, as she had nine marks in ten frames. She was followed by Karpinecz with a 182, and Balicki (178), Genova (166) and McKowen (165).

NOTES FROM THE NEST

• The Blackbirds set a new school record with 75 wins on the season.
• Broke school record with a .630 win percentage, the first time the team eclipsed .600.
• Runner-up in NEC regular season (11-7), getting first round bye for first time in history.
• Senior Lauren McKowen was named to the All-NEC 2nd team for the third straight season.