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Jeannette's Julian Batts sinks game-winner for LIU Brooklyn in NEC tourney opener | TribLIVE.com
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Jeannette's Julian Batts sinks game-winner for LIU Brooklyn in NEC tourney opener

Bill Beckner
Bill Beckner
2409957_web1_gtr-Batts-022620
LIU Brooklyn athletics
Julian Batts of the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds dribbles the ball during the game against the Radford Highlanders at UD Arena on March 13, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio.

Julian Batts never imagined he could get this much attention for a layup. But this layup was different.

It had excitement and charisma. It brought the crowd to its feet.

And it was a season-saver.

The Long Island Brooklyn senior point guard took an inbound pass on the wing Wednesday night, drove the lane and scored the game-winning basket with eight-tenths of second remaining in a wild tournament opener.

March Madness is here.

Fourth-seeded LIU advanced to the Northeast Conference semifinals with a 73-72 win over No. 5 Farleigh Dickinson with Batts, a former Jeannette star, playing the role of hero.

LIU inbounded from under its hoop with 3.6 seconds to play and Batts saw an opportunity to snatch back the lead his team had seemed to command for much of the night. Batts fanned out to the wing, grabbed the inbound and took his defender right.

The left-hander then attacked the rim and finished with a smooth, right-handed layup.

The Sharks had given away a 19-point advantage but made up for it by giving their home fans a thrill.

Batts’ big play had wide appeal. The highlight made ESPN SportsCenter’s Top Plays.

“I honestly just knew I didn’t have much time left and that I had to try and make a play,” said Batts, who had 13 points. “My teammates trusted me and Raiquan Clark and Ty Flowers actually shielded their defenders off for me, so without them I wouldn’t have had such a great look.

“I knew any basket at that time probably would’ve been attention-worthy but I defintiley didn’t expect to be on SportsCenter.”

Now, Batts will get to play in front of hometown fans. LIU (15-17) advances to play at top-seeded Robert Morris (18-14), which survived No. 8 St. Francis (N.Y.), 59-58, in the quarterfinals.

The Sharks and Colonials will tip at 2 p.m. Saturday at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township.

Batts, who has started all 32 games for the Sharks, averages 8.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He has 50 3-pointers.

March Madness always has held a special place for Batts, but experiencing it from afar as a kid to up close as an adult has given him fresh perspective.

"In the past it was definitely one of the times I looked forward to," Batts said. "But this season I’ve just tried to soak it all in from start to finish with it being my last year of college basketball."

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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