BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Long Island University men's basketball team (17-16, 12-4 NEC) dropped a heartbreaker to Saint Francis University (15-17, 8-8 NEC) in the semifinals of the Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday, falling 71-68 to the Red Flash at the Steinberg Wellness Center.

The Sharks got rolling early on the offensive thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by junior guard Blake Lander, the first of which gave LIU an 8-6 lead – a lead they held the remainder of the first half. 

The outside 3-point shooting opened the interior of the court for the Sharks, who extended their lead to 38-23 by the end of the first half with baskets by redshirt freshman guard Tre'shawn Sheppard and senior guard Terell Strickland. LIU's strong presence in the paint allowed for offensive rebounding and second-chance baskets to build the 15-point lead. 

Saint Francis came out of the gate swinging in the second half, going on a 24-9 scoring run to tie the game at 47 with just under 13 minutes remaining in the second half. While LIU battled with the Red Flash, and held a five-point lead with three minutes remaining in the game, the Sharks were unable to hold on to the lead after Saint Francis broke a 68-68 tie with three free-throw attempts with 1.4 seconds left in the game, giving the Sharks a 71-68 loss in the NEC Tournament semifinals. 

Senior forward Jamal Fuller led the Sharks with 21 points in the game, 17 of which came in the first half. Redshirt junior guard Malachi Davis was close behind with 16 points, and Lander finished the game with 13 points. 

LIU concludes the season with a 17-16 overall record, including a 12-4 mark in regular season NEC games. The Sharks finished second in the regular season conference standings this winter.