BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU men's basketball team managed to hold off a surging Saint Francis U. at home Saturday. The Red Flash came back from down 13 to force the extra period, but the Sharks took the win in the end, 75-70, to win net their second-straight Northeast Conference game.
 
SHARK BITES

• LIU led early, but a 12-4 run at the 10 minute mark put the Sharks up 10, 24-14 with 4:36 to play in the first. SFU would close the gap in the low-scoring first stanza, with LIU up, 27-24 at the break.
• Another 12-0 run early in the second half put the Sharks up, 41-28 with 16:40 to play, their widest lead of the game.
• But over the next five minutes, SFU would answer with a run of its own, 15-2, eventually tying the game up 43-43 with 11 minutes to play.
• The two team stayed locked together from there. LIU was able to build the lead back up to five points, but the Red Flash never led it grow any further, staying within striking distance.
• The visitors, down 60-59, would get a foul called with 16 seconds left that gave Ramiir Dixon-Conover three free throws. He made all three, giving his team the 62-60 lead. But senior Isaac Kante drew a foul with four seconds left, and he also made both of his, tying the game up, 62-62. Sophomore Kyndall Davis had a steal in the final seconds, but the late heave was ruled after time expired, and the two teams went to overtime.
• SFU took a lead in the extra period, but 30 seconds later, Davis found Ty Flowers for an alley-oop dunk off another steal, and LIU tied it up, 64-64.
• The Sharks built momentum over the next two minutes. A huge dunk from Eral Penn gave LIU a 68-65 lead, and then Davis had a huge put-back dunk off a missed shot to give the Sharks a 70-67 advantage with 1:23 to play.
• SFU would hit a three pointer to tie it up with 1:06 to go, but Alex Rivera answered with a tre of his own, 73-70. In the final 10 seconds, Flowers hit two free throws to clinch the game, and Tre Wood had a big steal in the final seconds to assure SFU didn't get another shot off. LIU took the win, 75-70, to improve to 5-9 overall and 2-2 in the NEC.
• Flowers led the Sharks with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.
• Eral Penn had 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
• Davis finished with 11 points, a team-high five assists and four steals, while Kante had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double.
• Up next, the Sharks host CCSU in the Steinberg Wellness Center, Saturday, January 15 at 2 p.m.