Sports

LIU wins NEC, headed to NCAA tournament

The Blackbirds had no intentions of giving up their crown.

LIU Brooklyn is returning to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year after last night’s 90-73 win over Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference tournament title, which sent confetti into the air and hundreds of fans rushing the floor to celebrate at the WRAC in Brooklyn.

In a rematch of last year’s title game, LIU put on a sublime all-around offensive performance against the defensive-minded Colonials, shooting 52.9 percent from the field with five players scoring in double-figures.

“With about 35 seconds left to go, I turned to my assistant and said, ‘Look at what we just built,’ ” said 10th-year LIU coach Jim Ferry, whose team is back in the Big Dance after a 14-year drought prior to last season. “In the first meeting of the season, I brought a sheet of paper down with how many teams were unable to go back-to-back. We started the year 0-3 and some people stopped paying attention to us, but we just went about our business and did a great job.”

Extending their home win streak to 27 games, the second-longest in the nation, LIU (25-8) was led by tournament MVP Julian Boyd, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting. The junior forward left the indelible image of the game after slamming down an alley-oop from C.J. Garner that was thrown beyond halfcourt, giving the Blackbirds a 14-point lead with less than 10 minutes left, as the crowd began the first of many “MVP” chants to the NEC Player of the Year.

Sophomore point guard Jason Brickman finished with 18 points and a championship game-record 11 assists, while guiding the fast-paced offense without Boyd and All-NEC forward Jamal Olasewere as they battled foul trouble.

“What didn’t [Brickman] do for them?” said Robert Morris coach Andrew Toole. “He was incredible. He constantly was able to beat our guards off the bounce. He wreaked havoc and got into the lane. He’s an unbelievable decision-maker.”

LIU’s stars were phenomenal, but the role players took on leading parts as well. Garner had a game-high 21 points, aggressively attacking the paint in Boyd and Olasewere’s absence, while Michael Culpo added 11 points. Kenny Onyechi and seldom-used Booker Hucks saw increased action, helping to maintain an edge on the glass.

LIU’s biggest deficit came at 19-15 with nearly eight minutes left in the first half, but the Blackbirds went on a game-changing 13-0 run, with Olasewere scoring seven of his 12 points. LIU entered the half with a 39-31 lead and will enter this year’s NCAA tournament no higher than a No. 15 seed, as they were in last year’s loss to North Carolina.

But dancing isn’t enough.

“To be able to put on your dancing shoes and get on a stage like that is amazing,” Olasewere said. “It’s every player’s dream to be able to go to the NCAA tournament, but we want to win a game this year and try and make a run.”

All-NEC guard Velton Jones scored the game’s first points on a layup, drawing contact from Boyd, but no foul, as he crashed hard onto the floor. Jones hurt his ribs and returned after missing three minutes, scoring 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting, while Lucky Jones led the Colonials (24-10) with 14.

As a dejected Robert Morris team walked off the court, the Blackbirds cut down the net. The scene was familiar. The result was the same. But the feeling was as unique as ever.