NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Long Island University men's basketball team notched their second-straight win Thursday night, as the Sharks beat Central Connecticut State on the road, 90-74. LIU (12-13, 7-5 NEC) was led by five players in double figures. Senior
Raiquan Clark was the high scorer, with 22 points, while junior
Ty Flowers (21 points, 13 rebounds) and senior
Jashaun Agosto (14 points, 10 rebounds) both had double doubles for the Sharks in the win.
COACH KELLOGG ON THE WIN
"I thought it was a great game for us," coach
Derek Kellogg said after the game. "To come into Central, a team that's playing much, much better. [CCSU Head Coach] Donyell's [Marshall] got those young kids really playing hard and shooting a lot of threes. So to come in here and play the way we did in the second half, I thought we really defended, I thought our guys shared the basketball, and it was really a good team effort. We've got a short turnaround, three games in five days, so I'm hoping our guys can get some rest, and get ready for a huge game on Saturday."
GAME BREAKDOWN
As was the case the last time CCSU and LIU faced off, the Blue Devils kept it close in the early going. Senior
Julian Batts would score five straight points to put the Sharks up, 7-2 in the first two minutes, but the Blue Devils would bring it back within three points. A three pointer by CCSU cut the lead to just one point with 9:22 to play, and LIU only led by three points at the half time break, 45-42.
The first four minutes of the second half would prove to set the tone for the rest of the contest. LIU would score ten unanswered points, going up 52-42 at 16:51. A three-pointer from Agosto capped the run, and CCSU called a timeout. Though they would cut into the lead coming out of that break, the Sharks kept their foot on the gas, and eventually, at 12:15, a three-pointer from freshman
Devin Nicholson would widen the lead to 67-48. LIU would eventually widen the lead to as many as 24 points, cruising to the win over the Blue Devils, 90-74. The Sharks were hard to stop from the field, as they shot 52.6 percent overall, including 52 percent from three-point range, and 85 percent from the free throw line.
SHARK BITES
- Senior Raiquan Clark led LIU with 22 points, going 8-for-15 from the field. He also had five rebounds and two steals.
- Junior Ty Flowers had his 13th double double of the season, with 21 points and 13 rebounds, along with four blocks.
- Senior Jashaun Agosto had 14 points and 10 rebounds, for his second career double double. He also had four assists and two steals.
- Sophomore Jermaine Jackson Jr. chipped in 15 points and seven assists for LIU, while senior Julian Batts had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
- CCSU was led by 21 points from Jamir Reed.
UP NEXT
LIU returns to Brooklyn to host Sacred Heart, Saturday, February 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the Steinberg Wellness Center.
