BROOKLYN, N.Y. – After four straight home games in downtown Brooklyn, the LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team is hitting the road once more for a four-game road swing beginning with Mount St. Mary's. The Blackbirds will face off against the Mountaineers in Maryland on Thursday, January 24 at 7 p.m.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- Most recently, LIU (9-9, 3-3 NEC) fell to local rival St. Francis Brooklyn at home Monday afternoon, 79-70. The Terriers led wire-to-wire despite 29 points and 14 rebounds from LIU senior Raiquan Clark.
- The Blackbirds had one of their lowest three-point percentages of the season, making just 15.8 percent of their attempted threes (3-for-19). LIU also shot 36.2 percent from the field as a team in the loss.
- Monday's loss marked the first time this season that the Blackbirds trailed for the entire game.
- Raiquan Clark had his fourth double-double of the season and second in as many games. The senior also drew 16 fouls in the game, of SFBK's 24 total, scoring 13 of his points from the free throw line.
- Sophomore Ty Flowers had 12 points and seven rebounds for LIU, while junior Julian Batts was just one board away from a double double, with 11 points and nine rebounds.
- Junior Julius van Sauers added eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
- Mount St. Mary's comes into Thursday's game as the youngest team in the Northeast Conference, and one of the youngest in the nation, with a roster consisting entirely of freshmen and sophomores. Under the direction of first year head coach Dan Englestad, the Mount has compiled a 4-15 overall record, and a 1-5 record in the NEC so far this season.
- Mount St. Mary's' lone NEC win came over one of the top teams in the conference, however, as the Mountaineers beat Wagner in Staten Island, 70-56. The Mount was also within three points of first-place Robert Morris, dropping a decision to the Colonials, 62-59.
- MSM has three players averaging in double digits this season: sophomore guard Jalen Gibbs (12.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg), freshman guard Vado Morse (12.6 ppg, 2.3 apg) and sophomore forward Omar Habwe (10.3 ppg 5.6 rpg).
- Morse was recently named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week for the third time this season after averaging 16.0 points and 4.0 assists in two games last week.
- Up next, the Blackbirds head north to take on Central Connecticut State in a Saturday afternoon matinee, January 26 at 1 p.m.