BROOKLYN, NY ? Long Island University recorded its highest point total of the season in an 86-62 victory over the University of Hartford men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at the Wellness, Recreation & Athletic Center.

LIU (4-2 overall) also notched season highs in field goal percentage (.509) and three-pointers (16). Eugene Kotorobai and Kyle Johnson led four Blackbirds in double figures with 20 points each. Kotorobai was 6-of-8 from three-point range and also finished with nine rebounds.

Sophomore Joe Zeglinski led Hartford (4-5 overall) with 13 points and added a team-high six rebounds. Junior Warren McLendon finished with 11 points and four blocks. The Hawks shot 41 percent from the floor but went just 3-for-16 from three-point range.

LIU, which never trailed, started the game by bombing away from three. After missing on their first attempt from the floor, the Blackbirds hit their next six shots?including five three-pointers?to jump out to a 17-8 lead only four minutes into the contest. Kotorobai made three treys during the stretch while David Hicks added a pair.

The Blackbirds pumped their lead to 12 points at 22-10 before the Hawks responded. Hartford held LIU scoreless for a six-minute span and reeled off eight unanswered points to whittle the deficit to four with 8:36 to go in the half.

Hartford couldn't quite get over the hump, as both McLendon and junior Michael Turner sat out the final 7:36 of the stanza with two fouls apiece. A three-pointer by senior Brian Glowiak with 3:46 cut the deficit to four once again at 28-24, but LIU closed the half with eight of the final 10 points to lead 36-26 at the break.

The start of the second half was similar to the first, as after missing on their first attempt the Blackbirds connected on three straight treys to take a 15-point lead. Hartford took a timeout but never recovered; the Hawks trailed by double digits for the rest of the game.

Hartford will have a week off before playing at North Texas on Saturday, December 8 at 3 p.m.