BROOKLYN, N.Y. — In a battle between the top two teams in the NEC, the Sharks lost to Central Connecticut State 63-50 on Thursday night.

An enthusiastic home crowd cheered LIU on during the start of Shark Weekend in Brooklyn. The Sharks fell behind early and faced some tough deficits throughout, but several swings of momentum gave way for LIU to fight back. The second half featured an 18-6 run by the Sharks, but it wasn't enough to fully narrow the gap between them and the opponent.

The contest did feature an inspired effort from Terell Strickland, who returned from a three-game absence and led the charge as LIU aimed to complete the comeback. He scored a season-high 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field, to go with 3 assists. Shadrak Lasu added 6 points and led the Sharks with 9 rebounds.

LIU will look to pick up a victory on Saturday, Feb. 1 when it visits Chicago State at 2 p.m.