BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team will begin the defense of their 2018 Northeast Conference championship title in earnest Thursday, as the Blackbirds travel north to open NEC play at Sacred Heart. LIU and SHU will face off on Coach Bike Court at the Pitt Center, Thursday, January 3 at 6 p.m.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team finished off the 2018 calendar year and their non-conference schedule with a flourish, rallying from a 12-point deficit to beat Fordham Sunday night, 60-57. With the win, LIU improves to 6-6 before the start of Northeast Conference play.
- The Rams, who led for 37 of the game's 40 minutes, fell victim to a late scoring surge driven by senior Raiquan Clark. Clark scored 19 of his team-leading 23 points in the second half, including the final three game-winning free throws. The Blackbirds outscored Fordham 14-4 over the final five minutes of the game, led by 10 points from Clark.
- For his efforts in the win, Clark was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week, it was announced by the league office Monday afternoon. It was the first weekly honor for Clark this season, and third of his career.
- Clark, a preseason All-NEC selection, paces the NEC with 20.2 ppg. He also ranks fourth in field goal accuracy (.521), eighth in steals (1.4) and 11th in rebounding (5.8).
- Sacred Heart enters Thursday's matinee with a 4-9 non-conference record. Most recently, the Pioneers fell in overtime to UMass Lowell, 100-91. SHU has the highest scoring offense in the NEC, as the Pioneers are averaging 82.4 points per game, along with a league-high 15.7 assists per game.
- The Blackbirds lead the all-time series, 25-11, including winning the last four straight meetings. In 2017-18, LIU won in Connecticut, 69-60, before beating them at home in Brooklyn to cap the regular season, 88-77.
- The Pioneers are led by senior guard Sean Hoehn, who is second in the NEC in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game behind Clark.
- Sophomore EJ Anosike (12.8 ppg), junior forward Jare'l Spellman (10.3 ppg) and freshman guard Aaron Clarke (10.2 ppg) round out the team's top scorers. Spellman is also the team's top shot blocker. He averages 2.54 blocks per game, which leads the NEC and ranks 13th in the nation.
- One other standout for SHU is freshman guard Cameron Parker. Parker, the team's point guard, is one of the game's top passers so far this season. He ranks 11th in the nation in total assists (89), and fifth in the nation in assists per game (7.4). Both are also the tops for true freshmen in the country.
- SHU also has hot-shooting freshman Koreem Ozier back. The Wisconsin native has played in just four games this season, having missed nine games due to injury. And in those four games, including the last two for the Pioneers, he's averaging 21.0 points per game on 51.7% shooting. In SHU's loss to UMass Lowell, he had a team-high 20 points.
- Up next, the Blackbirds travel to Bryant, Saturday, January 5, for a 4 p.m. game as a part of a double header with the LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team.