SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Long Island University men's basketball team won their fourth straight Northeast Conference contest Saturday afternoon in the Chace Athletic Center, beating Bryant 74-60. The Sharks (9-9, 4-1 NEC) were led by double doubles from senior
Raiquan Clark (21 points, 14 rebounds) and junior
Ty Flowers (18 points, 10 rebounds).
COACH KELLOGG ON THE WIN
"It was a great road win for us against a tough Bryant team, who played very hard," head coach
Derek Kellogg said. "I thought our guys answered the task. Our senior leadership came through for us, and I loved the way we made free throws down the stretch."
GAME BREAKDOWN
Bryant got on the board first Saturday, but LIU answered quickly, scoring 10 unanswered points to go up, 10-1 in the first two and a half minutes. The Bulldogs didn't stay down for long though, and after a timeout, answered with an 8-0 run that brought the home team within one, 10-9. The Bulldogs would eventually widen that run to a 16-2 spree that gave them the lead, 17-12.
The two teams would battle back and forth for most of the first half, but the last time Bryant would lead would be the 2:34 mark, when they were up, 31-28. Just 12 seconds later, Flowers would hit a three that tied it up at 31-31. The trey was a part of a 9-0 run that LIU used to close out the first half, and the Sharks took a 37-31 lead into the break.
LIU extended that run into the second half, adding three more points that would make it a 12-0 run overall. In all, LIU's strong start to the second half would prove to be the difference in the game. The Sharks outscored Bryant 12-4 in the first 10 minutes, taking a 49-35 lead with 9:32 to play.
Bryant would continue to battle back, closing the lead to 60-54 with 4:28 to play, and then to just 62-58 a minute later. But in the final two minutes of play, Clark, sophomore
Virshon Cotton, senior
Jashaun Agosto and sophomore
Jermaine Jackson Jr. would go a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, clinching the 74-60 win for the Sharks.
SHARK BITES
- Senior Raiquan Clark led LIU with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Clark shot 8-for-16 from the field, and also had two rebounds and a block in the win.
- Junior Ty Flowers had his eighth double double of the season, with 18 points (including three threes), and 10 rebounds. He also had two steals, a block and an assist.
- Senior Jashaun Agosto had 12 points (going 4-for-7 from the field), along with six rebounds, a team-high four assists and two steals.
- Sophomore Virshon Cotton had 11 points, going 3-for-5 from the field, along with three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Both teams were below 25 percent from three-point range, as LIU shot 22.2 percent, and Bryant was just 20 percent from long range.
- The Sharks out-rebounded Bryant 41-35.
- Up next, LIU travels to Staten Island to take on Wagner as a part of a double header with the women's team, Monday, January 21.