With ticket punched, Davis and Gordon reinforce NCAA bid beating Mercyhurst in NEC finale

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 on Tuesday night.

The top-seeded Sharks (24-10) entered the contest already having secured an NCAA Tournament bid as No. 3 seed Mercyhurst (17-17) is still completing its four-year conversion to Division I membership from Division II and ineligible for a tournament berth.

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

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

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

Tied at 63 with 4:02 remaining, Davis made a 3-pointer and followed with a layup and Long Island led for the remainder. The Sharks led 42-40 at halftime.

Mercyhurst’s largest lead occurred with a 5-0 start. After the break, Lemelman made a floater to give the Lakers a 50-46 advantage with 15:46 left. The Sharks countered with an 8-0 run and never trailed again.

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 are its most since a 25-8 performance in the 2011-12 season when the Sharks also claimed the NEC title.

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