SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team led for most of the afternoon in the Chace Athletic Center, but the Blackbirds (7-7, 1-1 Northeast Conference) would pull away late, using hot shooting from beyond the arc to beat Bryant, 79-70. Junior Julian Batts led the charge for LIU, with 20 points, including 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range. Senior Raiquan Clark had 19 points, while sophomore Ty Flowers had his fifth double double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
 
The Blackbirds got off to a strong start, opening the game on a 10-0 run. Clark would hit a layup at 13:41 that gave LIU the 14-5 advantage, but over the next three minutes, Bryant's shots would start to fall. The home team put together an 11-1 run to take the lead, 16-15 with just over ten minutes left to play in the game.
 
Senior Raul Frias would hit a three-pointer at 9:47 that helped stop the bleeding, but the two teams would battle back and for from there for the rest of the half. Clark gave the Blackbirds a five-point lead at 7:29 with a three-pointer, but neither team would lead by more than that for the rest of the stanza. LIU would close out the final 90 seconds with a 4-0 run, including a layup by Flowers and two made free throws by sophomore Eral Penn, taking a 33-31 lead into the halftime break.
 
Junior Jashaun Agosto powered the Blackbirds to start the second half, scoring two straight baskets that helped LIU to a 37-33 advantage. But it was the widest lead the Blackbirds would have for most of the half, as the two teams traded the lead back and forth, and saw the score tied 12 different times.
 
But the Blackbirds would start to get hot around the 11-minute mark, when Batts hit his first trey of the game. Over the next seven minutes, LIU would go 6-for-7 from three-point range, including a three from Agosto at 5:46 that put the Blackbirds on top for good. Bryant kept up the good fight, closing the gap to as little as one point, but both Batts and Flowers hit threes in the final three minutes, and the team went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe to seal the win, 79-70.
 
NOTES FROM THE NEST

• Julian Batts led the Blackbirds with 20 points, shooting 3-for-5 from long range, 6-for-11 from the field, and 5-for-7 from the free throw line. He also had a game-high four steals.
• Senior Raiquan Clark had 19 points, four rebounds, and tied his career high with three blocks on defense.
• Junior Jashaun Agosto had 14 points and five assists, while Ty Flowers had his fifth double double, with 10 points and 12 rebounds, along with three assists, two blocks and a steal.
• Sophomore Eral Penn (6 pts, 5 rebs) and senior Raul Frias (6 pts, 2 rebs, 1 block) were both key contributors off the bench.
• Bryant moved to 4-9, and 1-1 in NEC with the loss, and were led by double digit performances from Sabastian Townes (16 pts), Adam Grant (15 pts), Bryon Hawkins (14 pts, 7 rebs), Joe Kasperzyk (13 pts) and Juan Cardenas (10 pts).
• The Blackbirds shot 72.4 percent from the free throw line, and 44.4 percent from the field in the win.
• Up next, the Blackbirds return home to the Steinberg Wellness Center for the first time since November. LIU will host the Pennsylvania contingent of the NEC, starting with Saint Francis U., Thursday, January 10 at 7 p.m.