They’re not fin-ished.
Anticlimactics be damned, the Sharks of Long Island University put on a show in one of the strangest conference championships, having already clinched an automatic bid in March Madness before winning the NEC championship against the Mercyhurst Lakers 79-70 on Tuesday night in Brooklyn via an unusual technicality.
The group feels its ticket to the NCAA Tournament is properly “earned,” and the team didn’t coast in a game with only pride on the line, said senior guard Malachi Davis.
“We don’t shy away from anything,” added fellow senior guard Greg Gordon. “We don’t hide our tail.”
Their Erie, Pa., opponent is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to its 2024 jump from Division II to Division I, and must wait until 2027-28 for a chance to dance.
Former Knick Rod Strickland’s team de facto clinched the Northeast Conference bid after beating city rival Wagner 64-56 in semifinal play Saturday night.
Tuesday’s thrilling, high-scoring final came down to the last 3 ¹/₂ minutes, when LIU pulled ahead 68-63 and pushed the lead to an insurmountable 72-65 with 1:41 to go, sinking their teeth into a definitive victory with free throws.
“No one really believed in us,” added Gordon. “Coach, he genuinely believed in us — like every single player. I’ve never seen him give up on a single person on our team.”
Getting in the right way and asterisk-free for the tournament’s No. 1 seed — and taking a back-and-forth barnburner in front of a packed crowd at home — meant just as much to the floor-shaking crowd.
The Shark faithful have gone viral across college basketball for doing their “fins up” clap from “The Reef” spirit section when LIU shoots free throws.
“That’s what home-court advantage is about — that energy,” Strickland said.
Gordon and Davis stood out with 24 points apiece, while graduate guard Jamal Fuller had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Sharks.
Now the Sharks are facing uncharted waters, as their bracket seeding and opponent remain a mystery until Selection Sunday.
But they’re ready to make waves regardless.
“Our team is fearless,” added Gordon. “We’re just going to let the world know we’re here.”
