Kotorobai Leads Men's Basketball to Second Straight NEC Victory, 72-60 Win Over Saint Francis (Pa.)

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1/13/07 -- Junior Eugene Kotorobai (Richmond Hill, Ontario) led the Long Island University men’s basketball team to a 72-60 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon at the Wellness Center. Kotorobai led four players in double-figures for the Blackbirds with 14 points and eight rebounds.

LIU (7-9, 3-2 NEC) used an 11-2 run midway through the first half to take a lead it would not relinquish and cruised to its second-straight Northeast Conference win.

The Blackbirds trailed 10-4 in the early going after Saint Francis’ Kurt Hoffman hit a three-pointer, but a run of seven straight points gave LIU its first lead at 11-10 on a layup from freshman Aurimas Adomaitis (Kaunas, Lithuania). The Red Flash came back to build a 16-12 lead on the strength of four straight points from Devin Sweetney, before the Blackbirds went on their decisive run.

Adomaitis scored five points during the run, including a three-point play to make it 18-apiece at the 6:50 mark. Kotorobai’s three-pointer capped the run to give LIU a 23-18 lead it would not relinquish. The Red Flash got back within two on a jumper from Sweetney, before the Blackbirds outscored them 6-1 down the stretch to take a 33-26 lead into halftime.

Adomaitis tied a career-high with 13 points, scoring 11 of them in the first half. Senior James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) added 11 points and sophomore Tyrone Mattison (Toronto, Ontario) contributed 10 points. The Blackbirds shot 40.7 percent for the game and held a 36-32 advantage on the glass.

Long Island came out in the second half and outscored Saint Francis, 8-3, to open up a 41-29 lead on a three-pointer from Williams. The closest the Red Flash got the rest of the way was at 50-40 halfway through the second stanza. LIU pushed the lead to as much as 72-54 before the visitors scored the final six points for the final margin.

"We played well and did a good job of defending," head coach Jim Ferry said. "Aurimas (Adomaitis) is starting to emerge and we were aggressive in the post all game."

Saint Francis dropped its eighth-straight contest and slipped to 4-13 overall, 1-5 in the NEC. Sweetney led all scorers with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Berry chipped in with 13 points. The Red Flash was plagued by 19 turnovers, which LIU converted into 22 points.

The Blackbirds return to action on Monday, January 15, with a 2:00 p.m. game in New Britain, Conn., against Central Connecticut State at Detrick Gym.