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Brooklyn’s Sharks bounced from NECs

LIU men's and women's squads saw their seasons come to a close

March 10, 2020 John Torenli, Sports Editor
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Julian Batts followed up last week’s scintillating game-winning shot in the Northeast Conference quarterfinals by scoring 23 points at top-seeded Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon.

But the senior guard’s game-high performance wasn’t enough to keep the Long Island University Sharks in the hunt for their second NEC title in three years.

A.J. Bramah poured in 18 points to lead five Colonials in double figures as the Sharks bowed out in the semifinal round with an 86-66 loss to RMU in front of 1,342 fans at the UMPC Events Center in Moon Township, Pennyslvania.

Batts, who hit a buzzer-beater to knock off Fairleigh Dickinson in Downtown Brooklyn last Wednesday night, made 7-of-16 shots, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

The Pittsburgh native also grabbed five rebounds, handed out a pair of assists and picked up four steals in his final appearance as a Shark.

“This is my last game. I wanted to go out and leave everything out on the floor,” said Batts.

Sophomore guard Jermaine Jackson Jr. scored 19 points and redshirt junior Ty Flowers added 11 for LIU (15-18), which trailed by 15 points at halftime before mounting a second-half comeback that saw the team close within eight points.

The Colonials (19-14), however, pulled away for good midway through the half, opening a 60-42 cushion on Jon Williams’ 3-pointer to squash any hopes of LIU’s advancement.

RMU was slated to host St. Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday night for the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament, something the Sharks, then known as Brooklyn’s Blackbirds, did two years ago.

“I give a lot of credit to Robert Morris. They played a great overall game,” ceded Sharks Head Coach Derek Kellogg.

“I thought our guys didn’t start really well. We didn’t get into the flow until late in the first half and played a good second half. In a conference where it’s obviously one and done, today was our day.”

The LIU women traveled to Emmitsburg, Maryland Monday night for what proved to be their season finale following an 80-47 loss to Mount St. Mary’s in an NEC quarterfinal showdown.

Sophomore Brandy Thomas posted her eighth double-double for the season for the Sharks with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds and fellow second-year standout Kiara Bell added 11 points to go with three blocked shots and three steals.

Knotted at 25-25 at halftime, LIU was in position to pull off an upset before the Mountaineers rallied to put up a season-high 55 points in the second half.

“The first half was definitely not optimal,” Mount Head Coach Maria Marchesano said.

“We did not take care of business on the boards, box out or capitalize on our turnovers. But couldn’t be more proud of the second half. They really responded, got downhill, quit settling for three’s and got easy looks.”

***

The Brooklyn College men’s squad, which made a spirited run through the CUNYAC Championships two weeks ago, got knocked out by top-seeded Swarthmore, 85-51, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament last Friday night.

Senior guard Anthony McClean scored a team-high 12 points for the Bulldogs (13-16), but the regional hosts proved to be too much for upset-minded BC, which won its league this year despite being seeded fifth in the conference tournament.

“Everything we had went into this game and the better team won tonight,” Bulldogs senior guard Michael Tesoriero said.

“Winning the CUNYAC Championship and just having this experience was what these six seniors deserved,” added BC Head Coach Jeffrey Jean-Baptiste.

Anthony McClean and the rest of the Brooklyn College Bulldogs saw their season come to a close at top-seeded Swarthmore last Friday night in the first round of the Division III NCAA Tournament. Photo courtesy of BC Athletics.

The BC women saw their season come to a close as well last Friday, dropping a 90-51 decision at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in the opening round of the D-3 NCAAs.

Chanel Jemmott poured in a team-high 17 points and ripped down seven rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs, who went undefeated in CUNYAC play this year en route to an impressive 21-7 overall record.

“We had a lot of first-year players this year and winning the conference championship to play in the NCAA Tournament is a great accomplishment,” said Jemmott, who was named CUNYAC Player of the Year.

“We made a nice little run in the second half there,” BC Head Coach and CUNYAC Coach of the Year Alex Lang added. “However, it was too much of a deficit to come back from.”

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