BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU men's basketball team had a big Northeast Conference win at home Saturday afternoon, beating Bryant, 99-88. With the win, the Sharks snapped the Bulldogs' nine-game winning streak, and improve to 8-6 in NEC action with two weeks left in the regular season.
 
SHARK BITES

• LIU's big three of Ty Flowers, Eral Penn and Isaac Kante combined for 77 of LIU's 99 points. Flowers led the way, with 29 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks, while Penn had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Kante had a season and career-high 24 points.
• The Sharks jumped out to a 17-6 lead in the first half, powered by an 11-2 run.Kante had two layups over the next two minutes that would put LIU up by 10, including a 21-11 lead at 10:50. 30 seconds later, Flowers drained a three that widened LIU's lead to 24-11.
• The widest lead of the game came on an and-one play for Penn at 7:51. The senior made the driving layup and converted the free throw, putting the home team up, 31-16.
• Bryant would work to battle back over the final minutes of the half, cutting the lead back down to single digits, 49-42 at the halftime break.
• The Bulldogs brought a more balanced attack out in the second, and starting closing the gap further. The visitors would cut it to a one-point game at 16:45. Over the next four minutes, the Bulldogs outscored LIU, 17-5, retaking the lead and widening it to as many as eight points, 70-62 with 11:16 to play.
• LIU answered with a massive run of their own, however. Over the following four minutes, the Sharks outscored Bryant, 15-0, including eight points from Kante to drive the run. The Sharks went 7-for-11 from the field in that span, firmly swinging momentum back towards the home team, as LIU led, 77-70 with 7:14 to play.
• Thought Bryant would continue to battle, and close the lead to four points, they never got closer than that. The Sharks answered every basket with one of their own, including a huge fast-break dunk from sophomore Kyndall Davis that fired up the home crowd and smothered any momentum Bryant was building. LIU took the win in the end, 99-88.
• Ty Flowers finished with 29 points, including five threes. He also had 12 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and a steal.
• Eral Penn had 24 points, including going 8-for-11 at the free throw line, along with 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.
• Isaac Kante had 24 points, shooting 10-for-13 from the field. He also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Tre Wood had nine points and three assists, while Kyndall Davis added eight points, along with four assists, three blocks and two steals. Alex Rivera also had four assists for the Sharks.
• Up next, the Sharks head out on the road, to face off against Saint Francis U. and Mount St. Mary's, February 17 and 19.