By John Torenli

Long Island University senior shooting guard Jaytornah Wisseh couldn’t miss Tuesday night at the Wellness Center. At least it seemed that way for the Brooklyn native and former Banneker Academy star.

Wisseh, emerging as a strong early season candidate for Northeast Conference Player of the Year honors, matched his season high with 28 points as the Blackbirds evened their record by holding on for a 77-71 triumph over Saint Peter’s before 815 fans on “Freshman Pride Night� in Downtown Brooklyn.

“Jaytornah is one of those handful of guys in this league that has the ability to be a star,� LIU coach Jim Ferry said of Wisseh, who also put up 28 in the Blackbirds’ season-opening loss at St. John’s on Nov. 13.

The two-time All-NEC selection certainly lived up to his coach’s boasts against the Peacocks, hitting 9-of-12 shots from the floor and all nine of his free-throw attempts.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound sharpshooter also grabbed four rebounds, handed out two assists and picked up a pair of steals for the Blackbirds, who evened their record at 2-2 after dropping two straight to begin the campaign.

Wisseh, however, was hardly a one-man team.

Sophomore Michael Culpo and junior Kyle Johnson each had 11 points, and freshman Jamal Olasewere added a career-high 10 for LIU, which shot 50 percent as a team and out-rebounded Saint Peter’s, 39-33.

The Blackbirds enjoyed their turkey yesterday before turning their attention to Saturday’s visit to Seton Hall at 8 p.m.

The Terriers of St. Francis continue to search for win No. 1 after Tuesday night’s 83-65 loss at Massachusetts.

Junior guard Ricky Cadell scored 17 points to lead the St. Francis’ attack for the second straight game, but the Terriers (0-4) were unable to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit despite cutting the lead to 53-50 with 13 minutes remaining.

Senior forward Kayode Ayeni, who has been out since last December due to a severe knee injury, provided some hope with a strong return. Ayeni scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a couple of shots in 26 minutes off the bench. He should be at full strength and ready to help the Terriers make a run at the NEC Tournament when conference play opens Dec. 3 against Central Connecticut State.

St. Francis returns to action Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. against Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y.

Questions? Comments? Sound off to the Editor

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net