NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team will look to bounce back from a tough loss Thursday night in their Saturday afternoon matinee. The Blackbirds will take on the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, Saturday, January 24 at 1 p.m. in Detrick Gymnasium.
QUICK HITS
- Despite trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, LIU rallied to nearly beat Mount St. Mary's Thursday night in Knott Arena. After a late three from Ty Flowers with just 11 seconds left, the sophomore then got a big steal on defense, giving his team a last-second chance to win the game. But the shot was off, and the Mountaineers took the win, 74-72. With the loss, LIU moves to 9-10 on the season, and 3-4 in the Northeast Conference.
- Four Blackbirds scored in double figures for LIU, led by senior Raiquan Clark, who had 22 points (going 9-for-16 from the field), along with eight rebounds.
- Junior Julian Batts and sophomore Eral Penn both had 12 points for the Blackbirds. Penn went 6-for-7 from the field, while Batts when 2-for-3 from three-point range. And sophomore Ty Flowers had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists
- The LIU Brooklyn coaching staff is taking part in Coaches vs. Cancer during this week's games. Coaches across the nation will wear sneakers with their suits this week to raise awareness for Coaches vs. Cancer and the fight against cancer. The National Association of Basketball Coaches teamed with the American Cancer Society over 25 years ago to form Coaches vs. Cancer. Since its inception, Coaches vs. Cancer has raised over $115 million.
- CCSU (8-12, 2-5 NEC) is also coming off a devastating last second loss at Bryant, when a late three sealed the win for the home team.
- The Blue Devils are being led by the explosive play of senior guard Tyler Kohl. Kohl, a four-time NEC Player of the Week this year, recorded a triple double this month against FDU, with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. It was just the 10th triple double in the league since 1997. Last year, Kohl led the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, and is on track to do that again this year. The senior averages 16.9 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, 4.7 assists per game and 1.3 steals per game. He also ranks in the top 10 in the NEC in all four categories.
- The Blue Devils had three other players averaging 10 or more points per game: freshman guard Ian Kirshnan (12.4 points per game), junior forward Joe Hugley (11.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and junior guard/forward Jamir Coleman (11.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg).
- The Blackbirds lead the all-time series between the two teams, 23-21, including a 7-3 record over the last 10 meetings, but CCSU has won two of the last three. Last year, the two teams split home and home, with CCSU winning at Detrick Gymnasium (72-63), and LIU winning in OT in downtown Brooklyn (94-89).
- Up next the Blackbirds return home to the New York City metropolitan area, taking on two teams on the road, starting with an ESPN U game at FDU, Thursday, January 31, and then playing at Wagner, Saturday, February 2.