FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Better late than never they say, and tonight, that held true for the LIU men's basketball team, as the Sharks finally opened the 2020-21 basketball season on the road at Sacred Heart. And the Sharks did so in emphatic fashion, beating the Pioneers, 75-55. LIU had five players in double digits in the win, led by senior Ty Flower's double double (20 points, 13 rebounds).
 
SHARK BITES

• Sacred Heart used home court advantage to jump out to an early lead Wednesday, going up, 15-8 in the first six minutes. LIU would rally back in the second part of the first half, and stayed within three points for the rest of the stanza. Sacred Heart led at the break, 31-28.
• SHU would carry the lead into the second half, going up by as many as seven points before LIU would cut the lead down to one, 44-43. With just over 10 minutes left, the Sharks took the lead on a jumper from Flowers, 46-45, and the two teams would go back and forth from there.

• With 8:34 left to play, the Sharks used a jumper from sophomore Tre Wood to tie it up, 50-50, and from there, the momentum stayed firmly on LIU's side, with a little help from Flowers. On the next play, the senior would slam in an alley-oop dunk from Wood that fired up the bench and his team for the rest of the game. The Sharks would outscore SHU 25-5 over the last eight minutes of play, cementing their first Northeast Conference win of the year.
• Senior Ty Flowers had 20 points (going 8-for-16 from the field) with 13 boards. Junior Jermaine Jackson Jr. finished with 17 points in the win.
• In their Shark debuts after sitting for a redshirt year, sophomores Tre Wood and Alex Rivera were clutch for LIU, chipping in 13 points and 12 points, respectively, along with three assists and two steals for Wood, and five rebounds for Rivera.
• Junior Eral Penn was also back after a long absence, and added 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
• Up next, the two teams will meet tomorrow for a rematch, facing off Thursday, December 16 at 4 p.m.