C.J. Garner scored 21 points, 17 in the second half, as Long Island University defeated St. Francis (Pa.) 81-67 in a Northeast Conference game on Saturday.
The sophomore guard scored the first nine points for the Blackbirds (5-2, 1-1) during a 12-2 run that gave them a 67-51 lead with 5:55 remaining.
The Red Flash (2-6, 0-2) never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
A layup by Garner capped a 9-0 run that gave Long Island an 18-11 first-half lead, and the Blackbirds led 37-25 at halftime.
Long Island led 53-40 at the 12:03 mark of the second half before a 9-2 St. Francis run cut it to 55-49.
Julian Boyd added 16 points for Long Island and Jamal Olasewere had 13 points and 10 rebounds, his first double-double of the season.
Umar Shannon scored 19 points for St. Francis, Chris Johnson had 16 points and Will Felder had 16 points and 15 rebounds.
