With the ticket punched, Davis and Gordon strengthen the NCAA’s bid by beating Mercyhurst in the NEC final

NEW YORK (AP) — Malachi Davis and Greg Gordon each scored 24 points and Long Island University beat Mercyhurst 79-70 to claim the NEC title Tuesday night.

The top-seeded Sharks (24-10) entered the contest having already earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed. 3 Mercyhurst (17-17) is still completing its four-year conversion to Division I from Division II and is not eligible for a berth in the tournament.

Announcement

Reserve Mason Porter-Brown scored 14 points and Jamal Fuller scored 10 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out five assists.

Long Island shot 56% (29 of 52) including 56% (5 of 9) from beyond the arc, topping a 55% (16 of 29) shooting effort from the foul line.

Bernie Blunt III scored 26 points, Qadir Martin scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Jake Lemelman scored 12 points and dished out eight assists for the Lakers.

Tied at 63 with 4:02 remaining, Davis hit a 3-pointer followed by a layup and Long Island led the rest of the way. The Sharks led 42-40 at halftime.

Mercyhurst’s biggest lead came with a 5-0 start. After halftime, Lemelman hit a floater to give the Lakers a 50-46 lead with 15:46 left. The Sharks responded with an 8-0 run and never trailed again.

Announcement

It was Long Island’s first trip to the NEC Tournament final since 2018. The Sharks are 7-3 in program history in the NEC championship game.

Long Island’s 24 wins represent its most since a 25-8 performance in the 2011-12 season, when the Sharks also captured the NEC title.

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