He didn’t hit just one big shot — he hit two.
Iverson Fleming notched a pair of baskets in the final minute-and-a-half of play on Dec. 11 — including the go-ahead jumper with 24 seconds left — to lift Long Island University to a 74–73 victory over St. John’s at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival.
Fleming was a scoring force to be reckoned with throughout the non-league matchup, racking up a game-high 21 points on seven of 17 from the floor.
“It’s a mindset and my coach preaches about having the will to win,” Fleming said. “That’s what I try to do every day when I step onto the court. At that point in time, I was just trying to be aggressive.”
It was a big-time victory for the Blackbirds squad, which has been stumbling recently after getting off to the program’s best start since the 1971–72 season. Long Island University (7–3) came into the matchup on a two-game skid, wrapping up a month-long road trip with lackluster performances at Incarnate Word and North Carolina Central.
The squad didn’t show any signs of weariness, however, jumping out to a 10-point lead just five-and-a-half minutes into the game. The Blackbirds dominated in the paint, taking advantage of a thin St. John’s (5–6) frontcourt.
“That’s a focus of ours every time we start the game, let’s get the ball inside and play inside out,” coach Jack Perri said. “Going inside is what we do.”
St. John’s battled back late in the half, and the teams went into the break knotted at 42–42.
Long Island University made some halftime adjustments, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. That defense focused most of its efforts on slowing down St. John’s guard — and former Jefferson star — Shamorie Ponds. The freshman was held to just eight points in the second half and came up short on the potential game-winner as time expired.
“If you make any mistakes on him, it’s in the basket. He’s a super talent,” Perri said. “Iverson [Anderson] and Jashaun [Agosto} did a really good job of limiting their mistakes on him.”
Long Island University was hampered by foul trouble throughout the second half, but the Blackbirds maintained focus — led by Fleming on both sides of the ball.
He answered a Federico Mussini three with one of his own to make it a one-point game with 1:30 left and drained the go-ahead jumper after the Red Storm turned the ball over on the next possession.
“We’re looking to do some special things this upcoming season,” Fleming said. “It just shows we can play with anyone if we put our mind to it.”
Long Island University is hoping a win like this — particularly over a Big East opponent — is the spark the squad needs heading into league play this season. This is big, but the Blackbirds are hardly satisfied.
“It’s obviously a huge win,” Perri said. “This puts us in a place where we want to be. It’s been a while since we went to the NCAA Tournament, and these guys have a chance to do something special if they really focus.”
