LORETTO, Pa. –  The LIU men's basketball team nearly rallied to overtake Saint Francis U., Sunday in DeGol Arena, but the league-leading Red Flash held on to beat the Sharks, 74-71. Senior Raiquan Clark led LIU with 26 points, but it was senior Julian Batts' big night. The Jeanette, Pa. native scored his 1,000^th career point with 2:29 left in the first half. He becomes the 38^th player in LIU history to hit the career mark.
 
GAME BREAKDOWN
The Sharks led in the early going, taking a 5-0 lead on the Red Flash in the first two minutes. SFU would come back to tie it up, but the Sharks would use a 9-3 run to take the lead, 14-8. But with seven minutes remaining in the stanza, the home team would go on a scoring spree. SFU would outscore LIU 10-2 over the next four minutes, taking the lead, 26-23. They led for the rest of the half. Flowers would make a free throw in the final minute that brought LIU within one, 33-32, but SFU's Isaiah Blackmon would hit a three that gave the home team a 36-32 lead at the break.
 
The home team held on to that lead into the second half. And then starting at the 16-minute mark, the Red Flash went on a big run. SFU would use the next four minutes and 30 seconds to outscore the Sharks, 15-4, widening the lead to 58-45 with 11:37 to play.
 
LIU started to rally and find momentum a minute later. Senior Ashtyn Bradley would make a layup that sparked a run for the Sharks. Over the next five minutes, LIU would outscore SFU, 14-2, with help from a three from Jermaine Jackson Jr., points from sophomore Virshon Cotton, and Clark's four straight points that helped close the gap to 64-63 with 4:49 to play.
 
Just over a minute later, Jackson hit a three that would tie it up at 66 all. Clark would continue to lead the Sharks, making a big basket and drawing the foul with 2:38 to play. He converted the three-point play, giving LIU its first lead of the second half, 69-68. But SFU would answer with a three from Blackmon, and senior Keith Braxton made a layup with 25 seconds left to widen the gap to 73-69.
 
Batts would make a huge layup with 15 seconds left to keep the Sharks in striking distance, but LIU couldn't get the late shot to fall, and SFU ended up with the win, 74-71.
 
SHARK BITES

• With the loss, LIU moves to 13-16 on the season, and 8-8 in NEC action, with two games remaining in the regular season.
• Senior Raiquan Clark had 26 points and nine rebounds, leading LIU in both categories.
• Senior Julian Batts had 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.
• Junior Ty Flowers and sophomores Jermaine Jackson Jr. and Jack Ballantyne all had eight points each for the Sharks.
• Isaiah Blackmon led Saint Francis U. with 21 points.
• Up next, the Sharks return home to Brooklyn to host Wagner, Thursday, February 27 at 7 p.m.