LORETTO, Pa. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team closed an 18-point gap down to just five points in the second half, but it wasn't enough, as top-seeded Saint Francis U. beat the Blackbirds to advance to the Northeast Conference championship game, 72-64. LIU finishes the season with a 16-16 overall record.

The game was a battle from the start, in a packed DeGol Arena. The Red Flash started the game going up 5-2 on the Blackbirds, but then LIU answered by scoring seven straight to take the lead, 9-5 with 14:21 to play. A three-pointer two minutes later by Julian Batts would make it 12-7 in favor of LIU, and the Blackbirds were able to hold on to the lead from there. But in the final seven minutes of the half, the Red Flash would outscore LIU, 17-7, including nine points from Myles Thompson, giving the home team a 30-24 lead at the halftime break.
 
Saint Francis carried that momentum into the second half, starting the second stanza on a 15-3 scoring spree that lasted the first five minutes. That widened the gap up to its biggest of the game, 45-27 with 15:05 to play. But Batts would drive to the basket and draw a foul, and Agosto did the same thing just 30 seconds later. Their gritty play and made free throws sparked a run for the Blackbirds. Over the next three and a half minutes, LIU outscored the Red Flash, 16-3, closing what was an 18-point lead to just five points, 48-43 with 11:19 to play. 
 
The Blackbirds would stay within single digits from there, until SFU began to pull away in the final two minutes, going up 62-51. In those 120 seconds, the home team would not make a single field goal, going 13-for-14 from the free throw line.
 
LIU would put forth every attempt, as junior Ashtyn Bradley made two wild three pointers, both Agosto and Julius van Sauers made layups, and sophomore Ty Flowers had a three that cut the lead to five points, but it wouldn't be enough to overcome the gap, as the home team took the win, 72-64.
 
"I have to give Saint Francis a lot of credit, I thought they came in with a good game plan," head coach Derek Kellogg said after the game. "They hit some timely shots and timely free throws and I thought the home court advantage worked in their favor as well. I thought our guys competed, there were a few plays that we left out there. If we make them, that could have turned things in our favor. We clawed back in the second half, and we made it a good college basketball game. It goes to show you how important home court is in situations like this, how critical the 1-4 seeds are for situations like this. I wish them the best of luck, it will be a great championship game between them and FDU."
 
NOTES FROM THE NEST

• Junior Julian Batts led LIU with 19 points, going 5-for-7 from the three-point range. Junior Jashaun Agosto added 15 points, four assists and two blocks, while sophomore Ty Flowers had 12 point and six rebounds.
• SFU had four players in double digits: Keith Braxton (19 points and 14 rebounds), Jamaal King (15 points), Isaiah Blackmon (12 points) and Myles Thompson (11 points).
• The Red Flash outscored LIU in the paint 40-19.
• The Blackbirds finish the 2018-19 season with a 16-16 overall record, and 9-9 in the Northeast Conference.