BROOKLYN – With the game tied at 79 in double overtime, a Joel Hernandez three-pointer with 1:25 remaining would prove to be the game winner, as LIU Brooklyn defeated the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team, 82-81, in Brooklyn on Thursday night. Evan Kelley led five SHU players in double figures with 17 points as well as seven rebounds in the loss, while Tevin Falzon had a game-high 12 rebounds and five blocks, as the Pioneers drop to 7-9 and 1-2 in the Northeast Conference. Elvar Fridriksson scored a game-high 18 points and also dished out a team-high seven assists for the Blackbirds, who improve to 5-9 and 1-2 in the NEC with the win.

Jordan Allen scored on the next possession down the court following the three to get within one point with 55 seconds left in the game. After stopping LIU, the Pioneers had one more opportunity to take the lead, but could not get a shot off after an offensive foul was called with 0.26 seconds showing. After missing the first free throw after a foul, Gerrell Martin intentionally missed the second, and Sacred Heart could not get a shot off before the buzzer.

Both teams shot under forty percent for the game. The Pioneers went 33-83 (39.8 percent), while the Blackbirds shot 24-68 (35.3 percent). LIU made five more threes, 11-6, and outshot SHU, 40.7 percent -25.0 percent, from beyond the arch. Sacred Heart won the rebounding battle, 60-51, but could not overcome a 9-23 performance (39.1 percent) from the foul line and 17 turnovers. The 60 rebounds were the most by a NEC team since Quinnipiac had 61 on January 7, 2012. LIU went 23-33 (69.7 percent) at the charity stipe and committed 21 turnovers.

The game was tied 75-75 going into the second overtime, after both teams only scored five points each in the first. A Phil Gaetano three at the 3:42 mark put SHU up 73-72, 17 seconds after Fridriksson had given the Blackbirds the initial lead. After an LIU free throw by Nura Zanna with 2:38 on the clock tied the game, neither team would score until Cane Broome hit two foul shots with 1:09 left to break the tie and go ahead, 75-73. Hernandez would answer with two free throws of his own 22 seconds later to know it back up. After a Pioneer miss, the defense came up big for the second time with the clock running down, as Allen blocked Hernandez's jumper to send the game into the second overtime period. SHU also forced a LIU miss in regulation to send the game to force overtime.

The Blackbirds scored the first three points, all Hernandez free throws, of double overtime to take a 78-75 lead just 28 seconds in. SHU responded with four unanswered to regain the advantage with 3:10 remaining after Allen made a dunk and layup on back to back possessions. Hernandez then went 1-2 from the line with 2:08 on the clock to tie the game before his eventual game-winner.

Broome, Allen, De'von Barnett, and Gaetano joined Kelly in double figures, scoring 16, 12, 12, and 11, respectively. Gaetano added a game-high nine assists, to pass Johnny Burkette for third all time at Sacred Heart with 643 career assists. He is one shy of tying Carl Winfree for second place all-time. Barnett and Allen collected nine and eight rebounds, and were the only two Pioneers to shoot at least fifty percent from the floor.

LIU also had five players in double figures. Trevin Woods had 13 points and tied Falzon for a game-high 12 rebounds, while Zanna contributed 13 points, on 9-13 foul shooting, and eight boards before fouling out in the first overtime. Hernandez scored nine of his 14 in overtime, including going 6-8 from the foul line, which were also all in overtime. Martin Hermannsson was the fifth Blackbird in double figures with 12.

With LIU holding a slight, 32-30, lead at halftime, neither team gained more than a five-point lead in the second until the Blackbirds went up, 49-44, with 10:57 remaining after a Hernandez three. The Pioneers would answer with ten unanswered to take their largest lead of the game, 54-51, just 3:22 later. After Broome started the flurry with a rebound and put back layup, Steve Glowiak hit two straight three-pointers. Kelley capped it with two free throws with 7:56 left in regulation. The Blackbirds would come right back with the next five points though, to tie it back up at 54 just 41 seconds later after a three by Hermannsson.

The teams would once again trade points over the next few minutes, with the game remaining within at least three points until LIU Brooklyn went up, 69-65, capping a 7-1 run with just 2:30 remaining. Zanna made two foul shots after Woods began the spurt with five straight. Before the foul shots by Zanna, Woods had scored ten of the previous 12 Blackbird points, including going 3-3 from beyond the arch.

After the free throws, Gaetano buried a trifecta on the next possession down to bring SHU within one. After forcing a LIU miss, Kelley then put the Pioneers back up, 70-69, with his layup with 1:05 left. Zanna made 1-2 foul shots on the Blackbirds' next possession at the 50 second mark for the final points in regulation. After Kelley missed two foul shots with just 22 seconds showing, SHU's defense forced a LIU miss to send the game to overtime.

Sacred Heart outscored LIU, 48-24, in the paint and, 28-14, in second chance points. The Blackbirds held a 27-18, edge in points off turnovers.

The Blackbirds opened the game outscoring SHU, 19-8, in the first 7:02, capped by a Gerrell Martin three-pointer with 12:58 on the clock to give LIU the biggest lead of the game. After that basket, SHU held LIU Brooklyn scoreless for the next 5:49 to get back within four with 7:46 remaining, capping seven unanswered when Barnett hit a free throw. The flurry was started by a Gaetano trifecta.

LIU then scored four straight to push the lead back to eight before the Pioneers went on a 13-4 spurt to take its first lead since the 18:18 mark. During the run, Broome scored all eight of his first half points. He started the run with a jumper with 6:13 remaining and finished it with two consecutive layups thirteen seconds apart. The second in the fast break after a Blackbird turnover would make the score, 28-27, with 2:34 left on the halftime clock.

LIU Brooklyn would again answer with five straight points by Fridrikssonn before Barnett made a layup with 32 seconds showing to make the score, 32-30, heading into the locker room.

Sacred Heart will be back in the William H. Pitt Center on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 pm, as they host Saint Francis University as part of a Northeast Conference double header with the women, who start at 1 pm. The Red Flash fell to 8-6 and 2-1 in the NEC after an, 80-54, loss at Bryant tonight.