BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Sunday afternoon, the Brooklyn Nets gave way to the college game. The Barclays Center was the site as LIU hosted St. Peter’s. The inter-conference rivalry saw the visiting Peacocks post a 69-58 victory.
The points of emphasis:
Young talent: St. Peter’s is a young ballclub, but not short on talent. 24 turnovers leave coach Shaheen Holloway scratching his head. On the flip side, you have players as Matthew Lee. The freshman guard tied classmate Hassan Drame (another promising frosh) with 13 points. St. Peter’s saw a double-digit lead trimmed to six points late. Lee responded with two penetration baskets followed by a three-pointer. In the final minute he was shooting a one-and-one with his teammates back on defense. Lee missed, then out-rebounded four LIU players to start a new possession and basically ice the contest.
Need help: LIU has an excellent player in Raiquan Clark, as the senior forward led all scorers with 18 points. Ashtyn Bradley, with eleven, was the only other Shark in double digits. Clark is effective inside or out, but clearly needs teammates to contribute on a consistent basis. LIU coach Derek Kellogg agreed, adding, “He missed a few close in shots he normally makes. We had a tough game Friday against Delaware (an LIU win), so it’s safe to say he was a little fatigued.” Safe to also say another scorer needs to emerge.
Scheduling: The LIU non-league slate has been a murders row – Texas Tech, Rhode Island, George Mason, San Diego State, Rider and Delaware. “I challenge anyone in our conference to say their (non-league) schedule matches up with ours,” Kellogg said. “We play a tough schedule to get ready for the conference., We want our guys battle tested and ready.” The difficult November and December gets you ready for after the new year. It can take its toll on the won-lost record. “People might say , hey you’re 4-8, what’s wrong?,” Kellogg noted. “Look closer at who we played. St. Peter’s is in a similar situation. Their record (3-5) is not great but, like us, they’ve played some tough teams. That is an athletic and talented group Shaheen (Holloway) has.”
The numbers:
Possessions: 72
Offensive efficiency: St. Peter’s 96 LIU 81
Records: St. Peter’s 3-5, LIU 4-8
Leading scorers: (St. Peter’s) Hassan Drame, Matthew Lee 13 , (LIU) Raiquan Clark 18
Final notes:
- Doug Edert was another freshman who impressed for St. Peter’s. A 10 points per game scorer, Edert scored nine points, handed out an assist with no turnovers in fifteen minutes. A heady player at the guard spot, Edert, a Nutley (NJ) product, played his prep ball at Bergen Catholic, a Garden State power.
- Clark and Bradley combined for 54 percent of the LIU points. Once again, in conference others have to step up.
- When Holloway speaks of his team, “getting batter but needing a lot of work,” the St. Peter’s mentor is referencing the turnover situation. 24 turnovers led to a 33 percent turnover rate. On the other end, the Peacocks did own a 49-28 edge in rebounding.
- Both teams are off until just before the new year. LIU hosts Centenary on Saturday while Saint Peter’s visits Hampton on the same day.
- Not taking anything from St. Peter’s, Kellogg feels Friday’s win over Delaware (82-75 in OT) was demanding. “Schedule-wise that was tough,” Kellogg admitted. “Delaware is really good and our guys gave a great effort. Then we had one day to prepare for St. Peter’s. A lot of our guys still showed some fatigue from Friday.”
- “We needed this. The effort (to date) has always been there. The execution, not as much.” – Shaheen Holloway
- After losing their first three, the Peacocks split their last four. Wins over FDU and LIU were offset by very competitive outings (both ten-point losses) at UConn and St. John’s.
