BOX SCORE  -  GAME HIGHLIGHTS  - POSTGAME

LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 28, 2012) – The Saint Francis University men's basketball team fell to the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds in DeGol Arena Saturday, 97-76.
 
The Red Flash (5-16, 4-6) received strong efforts from freshman Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) and Ollie Jackson (Dallas, Texas/Pinkston ) but it was not against the Blackbirds (15-7, 9-1) balanced attack. Jackson posted a career-high 24 and Brown posted a career-high 13 but it could not overcome LIU's five player in double digits. Jamal Olasewere posted 26 points and 10 rebounds on 11-of-16 shooting, while Julian Boyd added 17 points and seven boards. Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) tallied 18 for the Flash but it was not enough for SFU to upset the NEC leaders.  
 
The game started fast and stayed fast with both team pushing the ball quickly up the floor. The Blackbirds generated easy baskets in transition with several lobs over SFU defense before it could set. LIU did a great job in the paint and tallied 28 first half points in the lane, while also getting an excellent showing from its bench that added 21 first half points. Olasewere ran the point well and also scored the ball well with 13 in the first frame. The Red Flash stayed in the game with excellent shooting from Jackson, who was eager to avenge a 0-for-4 shooting night on Thursday. The SFU freshman went 3-for-3 in the first half from 3-point land and 5-of-6 from the field. LIU closed the half on a 12-6 run and took a 48-36 lead into the locker room.
 
LIU stormed out of the intermission and scored the first 10 points of the half. Saint Francis used a timeout to slow the Blackbird momentum and jump start its offense but still struggled to slow the LIU's half court attack. LIU kept attacking and the Red Flash just could not find an answer for the Blackbird's offensive assault. The Blackbird stretched their lead to as many as 28 but Saint Francis did not quit. SFU continued to battle and trimmed the advantage in half to just 14 with less than three minutes to play. Sadly that would be as close as SFU would make it.    
 
The Red Flash return to action Thursday when they travel to Maryland to take for SFU's only meeting with Mount St. Mary's.
 
GAME NOTES
- Ollie Jackson (Dallas, Texas/Pinkston ) led all scorers in the first half with 15 points. Prior to Saturday, the SFU freshman had not tallied more than 12 in conference contest.
 
- Jackson finished the game with a career-high 24, the rookie also did it on 7-of-14 shooting from the field.
 
- Saint Francis took advantage of LIU's 19 turnovers turning them into 28 points. The Red Flash also limited their turnovers to just nine and allowed the Blackbird just nine points on those mistakes.
 
- Both teams made a living in the paint with a combined 100 points coming inside the painted area.
 
- LIU used its depth to its advantage as its bench posted 35 points lead by Kenny Onyechi, who scored 12 points in just 14 minutes.
 
- Saturday was the first time the Red Flash surrendered 90 or more points since LIU posted 90 against the Flash in the first round of the NEC tournament a season ago.
 
- The Red Flash did not have starting forward Jon Taylor (Bowie, Md./Montgomery College-Germantown), who missed the game due to an injury to his hand.