One play was all LIU-Brooklyn needed.
A made shot, a defensive rebound, a drawn charge, a deflection.
That play never came in the final minutes, and LIU saw its six-game win streak snapped by bitter rival Robert Morris as a result.
Velton Jones’ floater in the lane with 12 seconds remaining sent the Colonials to a dramatic 60-57 win yesterday in a rematch of the last two Northeast Conference championship games.
Unlike those contests at the Wellness Center, Robert Morris left downtown Brooklyn victorious and drops LIU into third place in the Northeast Conference.
The Blackbirds seemed in control after storming back from an eight-point deficit late in the second half, going ahead on Jamal Olasewere’s basket with 2:09 left. But LIU could never create any extra breathing room, despite Robert Morris’ repeated empty trips, and they gave the Colonials (15-8, 7-3) a back-breaking second chance on their final possession.
“If we get one rebound, the outcome changes, but we didn’t, and the kid made a big-time shot,” LIU coach Jack Perri said. “Jones, as hurt as he was, he was not trying to shoot most of the time, he was driving, kicking. We thought that was his motive. He’s a tough kid. He made a good shot, good for him.”
LIU’s Troy Joseph turned the ball over on the other end, Karvel Anderson sank two free throws and Olasewere’s desperation, game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer came up short.
Perri considered using a timeout before Joseph was stripped driving to the basket, but opted to let point guard Jason Brickman create instead.
“Broken plays, that’s what we score off of a lot,” Perri said. “Got the ball in Jason’s hands, they don’t have a chance to set up, let’s see what we can come up with. I thought Troy should’ve passed the ball out, let’s get the ball to our best player to make a play.”
LIU trailed 51-43 with 9:20 left, before Olasewere’s traditional 3-point play ignited a 10-2 run. He then gave the Blackbirds the lead, but C.J. Garner missed a 3-pointer that would’ve given LIU a cushion.
Brickman led LIU (11-11, 6-4) with 19 points but managed just four assists, half of his season average, and Olasewere added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Anderson had 13 for Robert Morris while Russell Johnson notched 12 points and Lucky Jones had 11 points and nine rebounds.
LIU is at its best when Brickman is distributing, not scoring, and Perri felt Robert Morris intentionally played off the senior, daring him to score. Of course LIU’s shooting, such a key in the recent streak, betrayed them. The Blackbirds shot a paltry 43 percent from the field and made just 3-of-17 3-point attempts while Robert Morris hit 10 3-pointers, long-distance shots that enabled the Colonials to build a lead.
“If we don’t go 3-for-17 [from 3-point range], I’m sure he has 10 assists,” Perri said.
And LIU likely has a seven-game winning streak as well.
zbraziller@nypost.com