Davis guides Sharks to first victory

Sophomore reserve scores 21 as LIU tops Delaware State

November 30, 2021 John Torenli, Sports Editor

Sophomore Kyndall Davis led LIU to its first win of the season Saturday at the Wellness Center n Downtown Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of LIU Athletics

Share this:

Playing at home in front of fans for the first time in 633 days, the Long Island University men’s basketball team made sure no one left disappointed.

Sophomore Kyndall Davis scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench as the Sharks nabbed their first win of the year Saturday afternoon in front of 375 fans at Downtown’s Wellness Center, cruising to a 99-65 rout of Delaware State.

The game marked the first live LIU basketball contest attended by hoops enthusiasts since March 4, 2020, when the Sharks edged Fairleigh Dickinson, 73-72, in the semifinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament.

Davis, a Chicago native, buried 7-of-11 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He also grabbed four of LIU’s 21 offensive rebounds, helping the Sharks to 21 second-chance points on a night they led from start to finish.

Senior Ty Flowers added 19 points and redshirt senior and Brooklyn native Eral Penn finished with 14 points and 10 boards for the team formerly known as the Blackbirds.

Junior Alex Rivera chipped in with 12 points and grad student Isaac Kante had 10 for LIU (1-4), which ended a season-opening four-game losing streak and went in search of its second win in a row Tuesday night at the University of Delaware.

While the Sharks were chomping down on their first win, the St. Francis Brooklyn men’s squad remained winless Saturday with a 73-67 loss to North Carolina A&T at Raider Arena in Niceville, Florida.

The Terriers (0-6) also suffered a 71-59 defeat last Friday in their opening game of the Emerald Coast Classic Tournament, which saw grad student forward Patrick Emilien grab all-tournament honors for SFC.

Emilien had 14 points, six rebounds and two assists in Saturday’s loss and grad student guard Michael Cubbage added 11 points, including a basket that cut North Carolina A&T’s lead to 69-65 with 5:33 remaining in regulation.

But Marcus Watson drained a 3-pointer on the other end and the Terriers were left to wait until Wednesday when they’ll once again chase their first win at Fordham in the Bronx, where former Brooklyn Friends School standout Kyle Neptune is the first-year head coach.

SFC Brooklyn head coach Glenn Braica can’t find the formula quite yet to secure the Terriers’ first win of the year. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics

On the women’s side, junior guard Nevena Dimitrijevic scored 18 points off the bench and fellow third-year player Alyssa Fisher and grad student Khaleah Edwards added 11 points apiece Sunday, but SFC absorbed a 71-64 loss at Stony Brook.

Trailing by nine after one quarter, the Terriers (2-4) crawled back into contention by outscoring the Seawolves, 17-10, in the second period.

Despite taking the lead twice following intermission, SFC was undone by an 11-0 fourth-quarter run as Stony Brook snapped the Terriers’ two-game winning streak.

SFC will be back in action Sunday in Baltimore to take on the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

The LIU ladies dropped to 0-6 after Sunday’s 87-65 drubbing at the hands of Cleveland State in Cleveland, Ohio.

Freshman sensation Emaia O’Brien spearheaded the Shark attack with a career-best 21 points and senior Erykah Russell added 14 points for LIU, which will be home Wednesday night to host Army on Flatbush Avenue.

Over at Brooklyn College, junior guard Gianna Gotti won CUNYAC Player of the Week honors after torching St. Joseph’s Brooklyn for 22 points, 11 assists, seven steals and six rebounds in the Bulldogs’ 78-53 rout last week at the West Quad Center.

Junior Ericka James added 20 points for BC (4-1), which rebounded from its first loss of the season and will try to start another win streak at Drew University on Tuesday night.

St. Francis Brooklyn freshman guard Jaila Lee was named NEC Co-Rookie of the Week for the second straight time Monday. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics

The BC men were outclassed, 84-50, by SUNY Brockport last Tuesday at the West Quad Center, falling to 1-6 despite 16 points apiece from senior Noah Shy and sophomore Elisha Park.

The Bulldogs will return to action Friday night in Brooklyn vs. Lehman College in the CUNYAC opener for both schools.