BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team will welcome Wagner to downtown Brooklyn for a big Northeast Conference showdown Saturday afternoon. The Blackbirds will face off with the Seahawks in the second game of a doubleheader, at 4:30 p.m. The two teams, who were picked to finish third and fourth in the preseason poll, are currently tied in the NEC standings, with identical 5-6 records, along with Bryant. Currently, eight teams are all within three games of each other in the standings with three weeks left in the regular season, meaning every game has potential playoff implications.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- LIU snapped a two-game losing skid in its tracks Thursday night, beating Northeast Conference opponent Mount St. Mary's in resounding fashion in Barclays Center, 77-62. The Blackbirds, who led wire-to-wire in the contest, notched their first win at the arena since December of 2016. LIU had four players score in double digits, led by sophomore Ty Flowers, who had 18 points.
- Senior Raiquan Clark had his sixth double-double of the season, with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Jashaun Agosto had 14 points and nine assists, and senior Raul Frias added 11 points. With the win, LIU improves to 11-12 on the season, and 5-6 in NEC play.
- Wagner comes into Saturday's game with a 10-12 overall record, and 5-6 in the NEC. The Seahawks are coming off a loss to St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday, 51-44.
- The two borough rivals will face off in a series that dates back to 1928, one of the oldest matchups in LIU history. The Blackbirds lead the all-time series, 61-47, including a 6-5 advantage in the last three seasons.
- The Seahawks hold the most recent win, however, having beaten LIU just last week on their home court. The game that saw wild swings throughout, with Wagner coming out on top in the end, 71-59.
- Flowers led LIU with 19 points in that loss, while Clark had a double double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Frias added 14 points.
- The Seahawks were near perfect from the free throw line for most of the contest, with a team free throw percentage of 100 at the end of the first half, and 77.1 percent for the game. 27 of Wagner's points came from the charity stripe. The Seahawks also scored 23 of their points off of LIU's 18 turnovers.
- Up next, the Blackbirds will take on local rival St. Francis Brooklyn on Valentine's Day. LIU will travel less than a mile down the road to Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights, to take on the Terriers in the Pope PE Center, Thursday February 14 at 7 p.m.