Local college hoops squads come up empty in Philly

Downtown’s LIU-Brooklyn and St. Francis Both Remain Winless

November 26, 2014 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Sophomore Iverson Fleming scored 14 points off the bench, but Brooklyn’s Blackbirds suffered a tough OT loss to St. Joe’s inPhiladelphia Tuesday night. Photo courtesy of LIU-Brooklyn Athletics

Share this:

Youth was ultimately not served in Philadelphia Tuesday night as the new-look LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds suffered a 74-70 overtime loss to St. Joseph’s before a crowd of 3,243 at Hagan Arena.

“I’m really disappointed because our guys showed some grit and some good toughness,” said LIU head coach Jack Perri after his young, inexperienced squad battled back from a double-digit second-half deficit only to fall short during the extra session.

“They made some big plays to give ourselves a chance to win that game,” added Perri, who guided the Blackbirds to the last of their Northeast Conference-record three consecutive league titles in 2013 before failing to reach the NEC Tournament last season. “And that’s all you want when you’re going into an Atlantic 10 team’s gym and you’re playing six freshmen.”

The most effective of those six first-year players for the Blackbirds (0-2) was Nura Zanna, who was recently named the NEC Rookie of the Week. The redshirt freshman scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but fouled out just after LIU had eclipsed a 41-31 over the final 16 minutes of regulation.

The Icelandic first-year backcourt duo of Elvar Fridriksson and Martin Hermannsson combined for 20 points and seven assists and sophomores Iverson Fleming and Joel Hernandez teamed up for 24 points off the bench for the Blackbirds, who will take another shot at their first win on Thanksgiving Day at Madison Square Garden against Stony Brook.

“We’re trying to get better each day,” Perri noted. “We’re trying to continue to do that. We have had a lot of practices and not a lot of games. The things we talk about, we did a good job with. Overall I feel good about these guys, they’re doing a good job. They’re young, they wanted to win this game so badly, but there are a lot of positives.”

* * *

Tabbed as preseason favorites to win the NEC title, the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers fell to 0-4 on the season Tuesday night with a 73-60 loss at LaSalle’s Tom Gola Arena in front of 1,239 Philly fanatics.

Senior forward and NEC Player of the Year candidate Jalen Cannon posted his second double-double of the young season with 11 points and 13 rebounds and fourth-year guard Brent Jones added 13 points for the Terriers, who pulled within six points of the undefeated Explorers (4-0) midway through the second half but couldn’t draw any nearer the rest of the way.

“I am thrilled with the win,” said LaSalle head coach John Giannini. “We played a very good team, a team who was picked number one in their league.”

That ranking, of course, only applies to the Terriers’ status among other NEC teams.

Beating a non-conference rival, which they did with a stunning upset of then-defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Miami last November, is something SFC will continue pursuing Friday night against Norfolk State at St. Peter’s University in Jersey City.

* * *

Fresh off their first win of the year, the St. Francis women fell to 1-3 with a 57-50 OT loss at the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Tuesday.

Senior Eilidh Simpson scored 17 points, but the Terriers squandered an 11-point lead over the final 12 minutes of regulation before getting outscored, 13-6, in the extra session.

Senior forward Jaymee Veney added 12 points for SFC, which will be back in action Saturday against St. Joe’s during the Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic.

* * *

Brooklyn native and former Bishop Loughlin star JayVaughn Pinkston had a very happy homecoming at the Barclays Center this week, leading Villanova to the Progressive Legends Classic title.

Pinkston, a senior forward for the Wildcats, scored the go-ahead basket and added a game-saving blocked shot on the ensuing possession as Villanova topped No. 19 Michigan, 60-55, in the championship game Tuesday night before a crowd of 8,093 at Downtown’s state-of-the-art arena.

Pinkston was named to the all-tournament team after scoring eight points and grabbing nine rebounds against the Wolverines. He also had 15 points and seven boards in Villanova’s opening-round win over Virginia Commonwealth on Monday night at Barclays.

“We’re thrilled to win this tournament,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright said. “I’m really happy for J.P. coming back to Brooklyn, being so unselfish and playing for his team.

Pinkston, who earned McDonald’s All-American status during his time at Bishop Loughlin and was named New York’s Player of the Year as a senior in 2010, revealed that he had never stepped foot in the Nets’ new home before Monday’s tournament opener.

“This was actually my first time in this building,” said the 6-foot-7, 235-pound pro prospect. “It was a fun experience. To win the tournament felt great. Coach always preaches to me about defense. He tells me scoring will come if I focus on defense and rebounding. That’s what I did tonight to help my team.”

Perhaps Pinkston can spend more time at Barclays next year as a member of our borough’s first major pro sports franchise since the Dodgers fled for Los Angeles back in 1957.