Scott's Double-Double Leads Blackbirds Past Saint Peter's

(boxscore)

12/31/06 -- Senior Aubin Scott (Hempstead, N.Y.) paced four Long Island University players in double-figures with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Blackbirds past Saint Peter’s on Sunday afternoon at the Yanitelli Center.

The Peacocks took the lead in the early going as both teams started slowly from the field, but a three-pointer from sophomore Tyrone Mattison (Toronto, Canada) pulled the Blackbirds within 10-9 and a layup from sophomore Donovin McLendon (Miami, Fla.) gave LIU its first lead of the game.

After Saint Peter’s answered with a layup, McLendon took a long outlet pass and sent home a thunderous tomahawk dunk to ignite a 10-0 Blackbirds run that gave them the lead for good. A layup from Tim Spitler ended the run and got the Peacocks within 21-14, but they got no closer the rest of the half.

Senior Evan Meekins (East Providence, R.I.) came off the bench to pump in 11 points in the first half and help LIU build a 26-25 halftime lead. The Blackbirds played a nearly flawless opening stanza, shooting 52 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from the arc, and went 5-of-6 at the foul line, while limiting the Peacocks to just 35.5 percent from the field.

Back-to-back three pointers in the second half from senior James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) gave LIU a 45-29 lead with 15:56 to play. The Blackbirds eventually built the lead to as many as 18 at 52-34 after Mattison hit a three-pointer, before Saint Peter’s attempted a comeback. A four-point play from Raul Orta and an old-fashioned three-point play from Todd Sowell on consecutive possessions helped the Peacocks trim the lead to 62-54 with 4:07 remaining.

Junior Paska Morkeliunas (Kaunas, Lithuania) converted a put-back layup and the Blackbirds converted 8-of-10 foul shots down the stretch to ice the game. Meekins finished with 14 points off the bench, while Williams and Mattison each added 13 points. LIU dominated the glass, outrebounding Saint Peter’s, 47-29.

Orta led all scorers with 24 points, while Sowell added 15 points, 10 boards and six blocks in the losing effort.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Blackbirds as they get ready to head into Northeast Conference action against Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.