BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team will travel less than a mile down the road to take on borough rival St. Francis Brooklyn, in a Valentine's Day matchup, Thursday, February 14. The two teams will be squaring off in the 44
th annual Battle of Brooklyn, with the winning squad taking home the Battle of Brooklyn trophy. The two teams, who have been fighting for borough bragging rights since 1928, will tip off for the second time this season at 7 p.m. Beginning in the 1975-76 season, an annual Battle of Brooklyn game was dedicated in tribute to William "Buck" Lai and the late Danny Lynch, former athletic directors at LIU and St. Francis, respectively. The Battle of Brooklyn has been a tradition between the two schools in men's basketball for 43 years. Each year a Most Valuable Player trophy, named in honor of the two men, is awarded at the conclusion of each contest.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- The Blackbirds are looking to bounce back from a loss at home Saturday. LIU led by as many as ten points at home Saturday afternoon, but couldn't withstand Wagner's late run, and fell to the Seahawks, 68-65. Senior Raiquan Clark was one of three Blackbirds in double digits, as he scored a game-high 21 points, while senior Raul Frias had 14 points, and junior Julian Batts added 10 points. With the loss, LIU moves to 11-13, and 5-7 in the Northeast Conference.
- The game, which saw two 5-7 teams jostling for an advantage in the NEC standings, was a battle from start to finish, as the lead changed hands 15 times, and the game saw a tie score 12 different times.
- SFBK comes into Thursday's contest, with a 14-11 overall record, and just ahead of LIU in the league standings, with a 6-6 conference record.
- The Blackbirds will be defending their Battle of Brooklyn title for the second straight year, after having won it last year, 81-76. LIU leads the all-time BOB series, 25-18, including winning the last two.
- All-time, the Blackbirds lead the historic rivalry between the two programs that dates back to 1928, 68-43. LIU has won five of the last eight matchups, but the two teams have split the last four.
- Earlier this season, St. Francis beat the Blackbirds at home on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 79-70. The Terriers led wire-to-wire despite 29 points and 14 rebounds from LIU senior Raiquan Clark. SFBK was led by 20 points and seven rebounds from Jalen Jordan, while Deniz Celen (18 pts) and Glenn Sanabria (15 pts) helped lead the Terriers to a win.
- Up next, the Blackbirds will return to the Steinberg Wellness Center Saturday, to host Sacred Heart in a single game. The Blackbirds will welcome the Pioneers, February 16 at 2 p.m.