BROOKLYN, N.Y. — LIU lost to Mount St. Mary's 80-72 on Wednesday night, despite a strong game from Malachi Davis and a late push toward a comeback in the second half.
 
This was a physical matchup that saw two Sharks foul out and two more amass four fouls each. Davis helped his team overcome such obstacles by scoring 23 points, his highest scoring-mark since scoring a season-high 31 against Charlotte on Nov. 23. He made a season-high 11 of 14 free-throw attempts, and played all 40 minutes of the game.
 
Davis had already racked up 11 of his 23 points by halftime as LIU trailed its opponent by five at the break. In the second half, the Sharks not only kept the game close but put pressure on the Mount St. Mary's defense, shooting 50% from the field and sinking 14 of 17 free-throws as a group. LIU cut Mount St. Mary's' lead to one with just over fifteen minutes to play, but that's as close as the home team would come as it was largely a two-possession game the rest of the way.
 
Blake Lander added 12 points for the Sharks on 4 of 6 shooting from the field, and Shadrak Lasu narrowly missed a double-double while scoring 9 points to go with team-leading tallies of 10 rebounds and 4 blocks.
 
LIU will play next on Saturday, Dec. 21, hosting Lehigh at 1 p.m.