FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) - Louis Montes scored a career-high 35 points as Sacred Heart held off short-handed LIU Brooklyn 77-73 Thursday night in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
The Blackbirds (5-8) were playing without leading scorer Jamal Olasewere, C.J. Garner and Troy Joseph, who were suspended for the first two conference games for their roles in an on-campus brawl in September.
The Pioneers (3-9), coming off a 77-38 loss at George Washington on Dec. 30, scored the last 11 first-half points. Montes then scored 13 points in the first 6 minutes of the second half to help Sacred Heart build a 53-36 lead.
The Blackbirds answered with a 23-6 run to tie it at 59 with 6:34 to go. With LIU up 68-67 with 2:12 left, Montes' layup restored the Pioneers' lead.
Booker Hucks scored a career-high 20 for LIU Brooklyn, which has lost four straight.
| Scoreboard | |||
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
| LIU-Brooklyn (5-8) | 31 | 42 | 73 |
| Sacred Heart (3-9) « | 38 | 39 | 77 |
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| LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds | |||||||
| STARTERS | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| E. Reed, F | 33 | 3-10 | 8-10 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 14 |
| K. Onyechi, F | 11 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| J. Brickman, G | 39 | 3-8 | 3-4 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| B. Thompson, G | 35 | 5-9 | 1-2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| G. Martin, G | 23 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| BENCH | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| B. Hucks | 25 | 7-13 | 4-4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| D. Griggs | 24 | 0-3 | 4-6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| K. Murphy | 10 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 23-51 | 20-26 | 28 | 11 | 14 | 73 | |
| 45.1% | 76.9% | ||||||
| Sacred Heart Pioneers | |||||||
| STARTERS | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| N. Greenbacker, F | 22 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| P. Gaetano, G | 38 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 6 |
| L. Montes, G | 37 | 13-17 | 7-8 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 35 |
| S. Glowiak, G | 33 | 4-12 | 2-2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| S. Gibson, G | 32 | 6-12 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| BENCH | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| J. Swidowski | 20 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| M. Abdel Latif | 12 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D. Tate | 6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 29-54 | 10-13 | 29 | 17 | 19 | 77 | |
| 53.7% | 76.9% | ||||||
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