Jamal Olasewere led five players in double figures with 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds as LIU Brooklyn beat Sacred Heart 80-68 on Thursday night.
Julian Boyd had 16 points while Brandon Thompson and Michael Culpo chipped in with 11 apiece. Jason Brickman finished with 12 points and 13 assists for the Blackbirds, who advance to the Northeast Conference semifinals on Sunday against Quinnipiac.
LIU led by just one, 21-20, after Louis Montes converted a layup for Sacred Heart. But Culpo, Olasewere, and Boyd combined to score 14 unanswered and give the Blackbirds a 35-20 lead with 2:32 left in the first half.
Sacred Heart cut the deficit to 41-40 in the second half but Boyd rattled off five straight points to put LIU ahead for good.
Shane Gibson led Sacred Heart with 22 points, but the All-NEC First Team member had seven of the Pioneers 17 turnovers.
