Men's Basketball Falls in Final Seconds to Fairleigh Dickinson, 74-73

(boxscore)

1/20/07 -- Four Long Island University men’s basketball players reached double figures but the Blackbirds could not hold on to a late lead and dropped a 74-73 decision to Fairleigh Dickinson at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.

Senior James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) and freshman Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each had 16 points for LIU, who led by 10 at halftime and by as many as 13 points in the second stanza.

Two free throws by Wisseh gave Long Island (7-11, 3-4 Northeast Conference) a 73-69 lead with eight second remaining and seemingly iced the game for the Blackbirds. But the Knights (9-8, 4-2 NEC) would respond with a three-pointer from the top of the key by Manny Ubilla to cut the LIU advantage to one with 2.4 seconds remaining.

The ensuing inbound pass was turned back to FDU and Andre Harris, who finished with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, was fouled on a jumper with 0.9 seconds on the clock. Harris rattled in both free throws to give the visitors their first lead of the game. A heave downcourt was deflected by the Knights and LIU was unable to get a shot off in time.

The Blackbirds started out strong to begin the game, getting out to a 23-11 lead with 10:35 left in the first half. Following a jumper by Harris, a layup by freshman Aurimas Adomaitis (Kaunus, Lithuania) and two free throws by Wisseh extended Long Island’s cushion to 14. LIU shot 59.1 percent in the opening half and built a 37-27 lead going into the locker room.

A 12-2 run by FDU in a span of four minutes and five seconds cut the double-digit deficit to two with 8:10 on the clock. Ubilla hit two three-pointers during the stretch and finished the contest 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. LIU would regain control on a three-point play by Williams and would maintain a lead until the final seconds.

Adomaitis continued his strong play in the paint for the Blackbirds, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds, including five on the offensive end. Senior Esa Maki-Tulokas (Forssa, Finland) also reached double-figures with 11. Cameron Tyler finished with 17 points for the Knights.

LIU will continue NEC play as it travels to Wagner on Monday, Jan. 22. The contest will be televised live by Fox Sports-New York at approximately 7:00 p.m. following the women’s game.