Men's Basketball Notches First Victory of Season, 59-56, Over New Hampshire

(boxscore)

12/3/05 --Sophomore Paska Morkeliunas (Kaunas, Lithuania) scored a team-high 16 points, including 10 in the second half, as the Long Island University men’s basketball team held on for its first victory of the season, 59-56, at New Hampshire on Saturday evening.

Up by as many as 14 points in the second half, the Blackbirds withstood a furious comeback attempt by the Wildcats. Senior Aubin Scott (Hempstead, N.Y.) had two key defensive rebounds in the final two minutes, and Morkeliunas and junior guard James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) both knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the win.

LIU came out on fire to begin the game, connecting on a trio of three-pointers to take a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes. Back-to-back treys by Williams pushed the Blackbird lead to 15-2 with 15:31 left in the first period. LIU would finish the half a sizzling 9-for-12 (.750) from long range.

A trifecta by Ioannis Karalis capped a 13-4 run by New Hampshire that cut the Blackbirds advantage to four, 19-15, with 7:18 remaining in the opening period. Sophomore guard Randy Jones (Palm Beach, Fla.) would close the half scoring 10 points in the final 5:54, including two free throws with 0.4 seconds left to give LIU a 39-27 going into the locker room.

After trading baskets to begin the second stanza, a three by Blagoj Janev brought the Wildcats to within six, 49-43, with 10:09 remaining. A turnaround jumper and 10-foot floater in the lane by Morkeliunas gave the Blackbirds a double-digit cushion again, 53-43.

UNH would use a stifling defense to battle back, holding LIU to one field goal in the final 8:56 and trimming the lead to two, 55-53, with 3:41 to play.

Both teams went cold in the final minutes, with the two combining to miss nine consecutive shots over a three-minute stretch. Following a steal by Scott and two free throws by Morkeliunas with :08 remaining, Brandon Odom connected on a three to cut the Blackbirds lead to one, 57-56, with :03 left. Williams, as Morkeliunas had done seconds before, calmly stepped to the line and canned both ends of a one-and-one, giving LIU a three-point advantage. A last-second desperation heave was picked off by Scott, preserving the Blackbirds victory.

Jones finished with 12 points and Williams with 11. Sophomore Kellen Allen (Mansfield, Texas) ended with eight points and a team-leading eight rebounds for LIU.

Blagoj tied Morkeliunas for game-high scoring honors with 16, while Odom finished with 12 points off the bench for the Wildcats.

The Blackbirds will return to the Schwartz Center after a three-game road trip on Saturday, Dec. 10 against Hartford at 4:00 pm.