Upon the lilly pad of the Pope Center sat the frog prince LIU Brooklyn. All the Blackbirds needed was a kiss of confidence and they were off.
After an ugly first half in which LIU scored just 21 points and trailed by 12, the Blackbirds exploded for 57 second half points on the way to a 78-68 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn in the 38th annual Battle of Brooklyn.
During a 20-4 run the Blackbirds completely dominated every facet of the game and showed in the process that they can still be a competitor in what remains a wide open NEC race.
The run was a flurry of activity, punctuated by Jason Brickman’s alley-oop to E.J. Reed and finished off by two C.J. Garner layups. Garner scored 22 points in the game and was named the game’s MVP. Reed scored five of his six points during the eight minute span.
Once LIU got the lead, 46-44, the Blackbirds never let up. By the time four minutes remained they’d seized control of a game that it looked like they’d never even be in during the first half.
LIU had struggled in the first half, shooting 1-10 from three and allowing SFC to shoot 13 free throws during a 33-possession slog. In the second half that all changed. It was driven by the aggressiveness of Brickman. From the opening possession of the second half he was more assertive. He drove LIU forward with undeniable pace and finished with 11 assists, nine in the second 20 minutes.
“It all started with our point guard Jason Brickman,” Garner said. “He really started to find everybody and he got us going so we owe a lot to him.”
That pace, which LIU kicked up to 39 possessions in the second half, helped the Blackbirds get back into their type of game. Running and gunning, LIU shot 7-11 from three in the second half and 18-24 (75%) from the field overall. There were still some mistakes – LIU did have 10 turnovers – but they were done in order to try and make something happen, not because the Blackbirds were reticent to make a move against SFC’s zone.
Jamal Olasewere also managed to stay on the court for 37 minutes and scored 20 points to go along with 11 boards.
The Blackbirds showed off their new trick, defense, during the game. The Terriers shot just 39% from the field during the game and 7-25 from three. It was good defense in the first half that made the second half possible.
“In the first half we played hard but we didn’t play with a lot of discipline,” Olasewere said. “Going into the second half we just kept playing hard and we cut down on the fouls.”
Jalen Cannon finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for SFC. He struggled a bit at times to guard Olasewere in face-up situations, but was solid in help defense. Offensively Cannon just didn’t get much help. Brent Jones scored 14 points, but took 13 shots to get there, and Lowell Ulmer added 10 points in an active 13 minutes off the bench.
While LIU will take its momentum into a big game at Bryant on Saturday, the Terriers head to Central Connecticut. The Blue Devils are coming off a difficult road loss to Quinnipiac, but SFC will be trying to write its own fairy tale.
Well done John
Some thoughts re SFC — if Mockford and Johnson don’t get themselves untracked soon offensively, the Terriers might have a real struggle with the rest of the NEC slate, which really consists of a dogfight every night despite the standings. There’s no consistency and Cannon can’t be counted on to bail them out. The Terrier offense centers on getting contributions up and down the roster. It seems like any NEC team can beat any other NEC squad on any given night. It’s crazy!! Although the Red and Blue will miss starter Douglas, they seem to have discovered an incredibly-productive Ulmer off the bench as a result. The offensive contribution so far from Isailovic, who’s been starting in Douglas’ spot, has been disappointing, to say the least. The hope here is that he recaptures his long-range shooting ability — and quick! The positive is that he’s a better defender than was anticipated coming in. Hats off to the Blackbirds. They could have mentally cashed it in off their brutal 21-point first half, but they came out determined and focused as you would expect from two-time NEC champs. They’re going to be a tough match-up down the stretch.
Like the thoughts Dan. Ulmer has played well given the opportunity. Braica had some really nice things to say about him after the game last night. Mockford and Johnson are going to have to get on track for the team to get enough offense to win these games.
I had seen Lowell Ulmer play as a HS senior in Staten Island and he certainly had the athletic ability to play Div I — he was an extremely tireless rebounder who battled guys 2 to 3 inches taller pretty evenly. He played bigger than 6-5 and had an incredible motor. I believe that former Terrier Coach Brian Nash recruited him out of HS but Ulmer opted on an additional post-grad prep school year, hoping to increase his visibility to larger programs. He plays with a lot of enthusiasm and energy, so it’s not surprising that he seems to be so productive with so little playing time. It was rumored that, at one point, Iona thought they had a good shot at recruiting him coming out of prep school and their fan website was very optimistic that the Gaels were going to add Ulmer to their frontcourt. However, the Gaels’ loss is the Terrier’s gain. As for his actual height, I’ve seen Ulmer listed over the years from 6-5 to 6-7, so please let me know if you ever confirm his exact height.