LIU Drops Mount St. Mary's, 72-66; Blackbirds Win Four of Past Five

(boxscore)

2/26/05-- Junior Aubin Scott (Hempstead, N.Y.) notched his third career double-double, registering 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead Long Island University to a 72-66 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Saturday evening at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Md.

The victory was the Blackbirds (13-14, 10-8 NEC) fourth in the past five outings.

Sophomore James Williams added 14 points, his 26th game in double figures this season. Freshmen Kellen Allen (Mansfield, Texas) and Randy Jones (W. Palm Beach, Fla.) added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Sophomore Esa Maki-Tulokas (Forssa, Finland) recorded his third double-digit rebounding effort of the season, grabbing 12 rebounds. Ten of the 12 caroms came on the defensive end.

The Mount (7-19, 5-12 NEC) were paced by senior Jason Carbone with a career-best 15 points. Junior Landy Thompson contributed 13.

LIU trailed by seven in the first minute of the second half before erupting for the 16 of the game's next 17 points. A Mount turnover on the defensive end led to the Blackbirds' first lead of the game, a stop-and-pop 3-pointer from Randy Jones for a 39-37 advantage. Jones connected on his second trifecta in a 27-second span to pull LIU out ahead, 42-37 with 14:48 remaining.

The Blackbirds took their largest lead, 50-41, on a James Williams trey from the far side with 10:44 showing. The Mount, playing their final home game of the season, would not go away quietly. They rallied with an 18-9 run to tie the score at 59-59 with 3:24 on the clock.

LIU would not fold by scoring the next six points and coming up big defensively, including a charge by Derek Bell to take control. A back-door layup from Scott followed by an acrobatic layup in the lane from Jones gave the Blackbirds a 65-59 lead. LIU went 7-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the triumph.

LIU begins quarterfinal play in the NEC Tournament on Thursday, March 3. Matchups are yet to be determined.