BROOKLYN, N.Y. – There are only two Division I men's basketball teams in Brooklyn, and this Wednesday marks the beginning of the yearly rivalry between the two squads, as the Long Island University men's basketball team will travel less than a mile down Fulton Street to take on St. Francis Brooklyn, Wednesday, January 15, in a matchup that will air on SNY. The two teams will tip off to determine borough supremacy at 7 p.m.
SHARK BITES
- LIU is coming off of a huge Northeast Conference weekend at home. The Sharks won their second-straight NEC game at home Saturday afternoon, knocking out the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, 84-70. LIU (7-9, 2-1 NEC) had four players score in double digits, led by 20 points from senior Jashaun Agosto. Agosto shot 9-for-11 from the field. He also had five rebounds and three assists.
- Senior Raiquan Clark had 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Sophomore Jermaine Jackson Jr. had 14 points, including going 3-for-4 from three-point range, while sophomore Virshon Cotton added 12 points. And junior Ty Flowers had a team-high 10 rebounds, along with eight points, a team-high five assists, two steals and a block. Senior Julian Batts added nine points, going 3-for-3 from three-point range.
- The rivalry between LIU and St. Francis Brooklyn is one of the oldest in the conference and potentially in the NCAA, as the two teams have faced off since 1928. LIU leads the all-time series, 68-44, but the Terriers won both games last year, beating LIU 79-70 at the Steinberg Center, and 83-76 in the annual Battle of Brooklyn at home in Brooklyn Heights.
- The next time the two teams meet, it will be on a national stage, as the annual Battle of Brooklyn will air on ESPNU, Tuesday, February 18 at 5 p.m.
- The Terriers are 7-8 overall this season, and 1-2 in NEC action so far. SFBK opened the conference slate with a 79-63 win over FDU, but then fell in two games on the road in Pennsylvania, to Robert Morris (78-52) and Saint Francis U. (81-80).
- SFBK is led by junior guard Chauncey Hawkins' 15.2 points per game, while senior forward Deniz Celen adds 11.5 ppg and 6.6 rebounds per game. Senior guard Unique McLean (11.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and freshman guard Rob Higgins (10.6 ppg) are the other top scorers for the Terriers.
UP NEXT
LIU will hit the road to travel north and take on Bryant in Smithfield, Rhode Island, Saturday, January 18 in a double header with the women's teams.
