NEW YORK (AP) -- James Williams had 20 points and Long Island University defeated Sacred Heart 81-76 on Saturday.
Aubin Scott and Derek Bell each added 12 points for the Blackbirds (9-12, 6-6 Northeast), who held a 42-22 advantage at halftime.
Joey Henley, who connected on 10 of 11 shots, had 23 points for the Pioneers (3-17, 2-9), who lost their second straight and 16th of their last 18. Jarrid Frye added 20 and Kibwe Trim had 18.
LIU expanded on its 20-point halftime lead, building the advantage to 52-26 at 16:26 of the second half on Scott's driving layup, but Frye's 3-pointer closed out a 30-10 surge that cut the deficit to 62-56 with 5:49 remaining.
Bell's layup gave the Blackbirds a 73-58 lead with 4:03 left. Sacred Heart, behind Henley's seven points, closed out the game with an 18-8 run.
