Blackbirds Win Second Straight; Defeat Wagner 75-65

(boxscore)

1/28/05 -- Junior guard James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) had 17 points and sophomore forward Paska Morkeliunas (Kaunas, Lithuania) scored 16 to lead Long Island University to a 75-65 Northeast Conference victory over Wagner College on Saturday afternoon at the newly-opened Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.

Guard Aubin Scott (Hempstead, N.Y.) added 13 for the Blackbirds (6-11, 3-5).

With the score knotted at 39-39 at the 18:00 mark of the second period, LIU went on a 24-9 tear to take a commanding lead. Scott closed out the burst, scoring seven straight. He capped the run with a 3-pointer from the left corner for a 63-48 advantage with 5:42 showing.

Nine lead changes and four ties highlighted the first 16 minutes of play. Tied at 24-24, the Blackbirds pushed to 34-28 following a 3-pointer from Randy Jones (W. Palm Beach, Fla.) with 3:03 to play in the half. Wagner closed to three twice in the next minute of play but a triple by Williams just prior to the break gave LIU a 39-33 lead at intermission.

The Blackbirds won for the second straight time and committed a season-low seven turnovers.

Durell Vinson had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Seahawks (10-8, 3-6), while Mark Porter added 14 points and Matt Vitale had 12.

LIU travels to Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday, February 2 for a 7:00 p.m. tip. The contest is a rematch of last year’s NEC Tournament semifinals.