BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team will host Northeast Conference foe Mount St. Mary's in downtown Brooklyn Thursday, February 7. The two teams will face off at Barclays Center, home of the National Basketball Association's Brooklyn Nets, tipping off at 7 p.m. Fans will be able to purchase tickets at the arena. The game will also be streamed on NEC Front Row.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- The Blackbirds will be looking to snap a two-match losing streak. Last weekend, LIU played a game that saw wild swings throughout, with the Wagner Seahawks coming out on top in the end, 71-59. With the loss, LIU moved to 10-12 overall, and 4-6 in the Northeast Conference.Sophomore Ty Flowers led LIU with 19 points, while senior Raiquan Clark had a double double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds and senior Raul Frias added 14 points.
- The Blackbirds will also be looking to avenge a tough loss to the Mount from just two weeks ago. Despite trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, LIU rallied in Emmitsburg to nearly beat Mount St. Mary's 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.
- Freshman Vado Morse led all scorers with 24 points, including four three pointers for MSM, while Jalen Gibbs had 19 points, shooting 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Morse was named the NEC's Rookie of the Week following his career-high performance against LIU.
- LIU Brooklyn holds a 32-30 lead in the all-time series with the Mountaineers.But the Mountaineers have won seven of the past 10 matchups in the series. The Mount is one of the first teams the Blackbirds played at the Barclays Center, and the two teams have split their two contests there. LIU won the first meeting, 86-72 in 2013, with Mount winning 61-54 in 2015.
- Mount St. Mary's is 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 5-18 overall record, and a 2-8 record in the NEC so far this season.
- Freshman forward Malik Jefferson was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday.Jefferson averaged 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Mount in a pair of games, shooting 78.9 percent on 15-of-19 shooting.He opened the week with 14 points and seven rebounds in the Mount's loss to Sacred Heart, and followed with his third double-double of the year with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Francis U
- Up next, the Blackbirds return to the Steinberg Wellness Center, Saturday, February 9, to host Wagner in a double header with the women's teams. Games are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.