Sports

LIU Blackbirds fly to NEC title game

LIU Brooklyn began the season talking about being the best ever, doing what no team has ever done in the Northeast Conference.

Now, the Blackbirds have their shot at history.

The third-seeded, two-time defending champions advanced to their third straight NEC Championship game after their first road playoff win in three years, taking down second-seeded Wagner, 94-82, yesterday at the Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, with six players scoring in double-figures and the team shooting 65.3 percent from the field.

LIU will meet fifth-seeded Mount St. Mary’s at home on Tuesday, with the opportunity to reach its third straight NCAA Tournament, having won 14 of its past 17 games, following a six-game losing streak and the season-ending injury to Julian Boyd, last year’s NEC Player of the Year.

“It shows their character, handling everything that’s come their way throughout the season and I’m excited for them to have a chance to accomplish something special,” said LIU coach Jack Perri. “Our guys had a great sense of urgency to start the game, we held on, got the win, got a chance to go for the three-peat.”

After losing both regular-season meetings with Wagner, LIU (19-13) ran out to an early lead behind Booker Hucks’ three 3-pointers and an unstoppable fast break that produced a 20-1 run and a 30-11 lead with six minutes left in the first half.

The Blackbirds went into halftime up 49-29 despite NEC Player of the Year Jamal Olasewere having taken only two shots, as LIU’s bench ultimately outscored Wagner’s 43-9.

“The team was going, team was running and I didn’t feel like I needed to score and be too aggressive,” said Olasewere, who finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and became the school’s all-time leading-scorer. “Everyone was doing their thing. It was incredible.”

Wagner’s full-court press was smothering, forcing LIU into 27 turnovers, but the Seahawks’ 4-of-24 3-point shooting ended their season in the semifinals for the second straight year at home, despite 23 points from senior Jonathan Williams and Kenneth Ortiz’s 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Junior guard Latif Rivers, a 42.1 percent 3-point shooter, shot 1-of-9 from beyond the arc and 3-of-16 from the field.

“I thought they were a little hesitant early, trying to make some plays that weren’t there and they made us pay every time we made a mistake on offense,” said Wagner coach Bashir Mason. “We’d been on fire offensively, but the shots just didn’t fall tonight and we just didn’t capitalize on those turnovers.”

Wagner (19-12) went down by as many as 24 in the second half, but had many moments where a turnover looked like it would turn momentum and the crowd sounded like it could turn the game.

But LIU would not allow the lead to drop into single-digits, responding to points allowed almost immediately, as C.J. Garner led the team with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Jason Brickman added 10 points and 10 assists.

“They’ve had a mindset that they don’t want it to end,” said Perri. “They’ve been tremendous. The light turned on, especially for the seniors that they don’t want this to end.”

howard.kussoy@nypost.com