Flowers powers Sharks into third place

NEC Player of the Year candidate shines vs. SFC, Bryant

February 16, 2022 John Torenli, Sports Editor

Ty Flowers boosted his NEC Player of the Year award chances and led LIU to two big wins in the ongoing race for postseason position. Photo courtesy of LIU Athletics

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Maybe they should call it “Flowers power” at Long Island University.

Ty Flowers, a prime candidate for Northeast Conference Player of the Year honors, has led the Sharks back into contention for a potential top-two seed in the upcoming league tournament.

Flowers poured in 32 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in LIU’s 74-69 win over St. Francis Brooklyn last Thursday night at the Steinberg Wellness Center for the Battle of Brooklyn title.

The 6-foot-9 grad student earned Co-MVP honors for the annual tilt with teammate Eral Penn before going for 29 points, 12 more boards and six blocked shots Saturday in Downtown Brooklyn, lifting the Sharks over visiting Bryant, 99-88.

Flowers’ 30.5 points and 12.0 rebounds average also nabbed him the NEC Player of the Week award.

Though they remain locked in a two-way tie for third place with Mount St. Mary’s, the Sharks (11-13, 8-6 NEC) are 3-1 in their last four contests, climbing back into the hunt for homecourt advantage in the opening round of the nine-team NEC Tournament.

LIU can still finish as high as second place if the Sharks can win their last four games, including Thursday night’s contest at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.

The St. Francis Brooklyn women’s basketball team celebrates its Battle of Brooklyn win over LIU last Thursday night on Remsen Street. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics

The Terriers (8-17, 5-9) bounced back nicely from last week’s loss at LIU by blowing past Central Connecticut State, 67-50, on Saturday in New Britain, Conn.

Larry Moreno scored a career-best 32 points and Rob Higgins added 12 for SFC, which snapped a two-game slide and forged a sixth-place tie with CCSU in the standings.

SFC will be in Emmitsburg, Maryland on Thursday night to take on third-place Mount St. Mary’s, a game that could help the rival Sharks climb the standings if the Terriers pull out their sixth road win of the year.

The SFC ladies (13-9, 9-4) kept pushing for the top of the NEC rankings Friday night in Brooklyn Heights, beating LIU 82-73 behind a season-high 22 points from Isabella Posset.

Alyssa Fisher added 18 points for the Terriers, who will host third-place Mount St. Mary’s here Thursday with first-place Fairleigh Dickinson beginning the evening two games ahead of SFC.

Shyla Sanford and Emaia O’Brien finished with 19 points apiece for the Sharks (5-16, 5-8), who are holding on to eighth place in the NEC as they prepare to host SFU here Thursday.

Over at Division III Brooklyn College, the Lady Bulldogs capped a perfect season n conference play with a 63-30 demolition of York Tuesday night in Jamaica, N.Y.

The Brooklyn College women’s basketball team went a perfect 12-0 in CUNYAC action this year. Photo courtesy of BC Athletics

Chanel Jemmott scored a team-high 17 points for BC (18-3, 12-0), which will host a first-round CUNYAC Tournament game as the top overall seed on Feb. 22.

The Bulldogs’ lone loss of the new year occurred last week vs. Salisbury University in non-conference action at the West Quad Center.

BC is the defending CUNYAC champion from 2019-20 as the league did not have a season last year.