Box Score
Hamden, Conn. - Led by a career-high 19 points and seven rebounds by junior Heidi Mothershead, the Long Island University women's basketball team earned their fourth straight win with a 66-54 defeat of Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center. The victory improved the Blackbirds to 16-9 (10-4 Northeast Conference).

 

Long Island trailed 32-31 at the half but scored the first seven points of the second frame to take control of the contest. Quinnipiac (10-15, 5-10 NEC) rallied to pull within 41-39, but the Blackbirds responded with a 10-0 scoring burst that gave them a significant cushion.

 

Sophomore Kiara Evans ignited the run with back-to-back slashing, cutting layups before Mothershead hit a huge three-pointer in front of the Long Island bench. The fourth of the 5-foot-7 guard's career-high-tying five treys put the Blackbirds up 48-39 and prompted the Bobcats to call a timeout. After the break, Evans got the ball on the block and whirled for a layup and was fouled in the process. After making the ensuing free throw to cap the 10-point spurt, Long Island led 51-39.

 

The Bobcats would trim the lead to 54-47 but Mothershead stepped up and coolly knocked down another trifecta to increase the Blackbird lead to 10 points. From there, the closest Quinnipiac would get would be eight points and Long Island made nine of its 13 attempts from the charity stripe down the stretch to ice the game.

 

Evans finished with 15 points and seven rebounds and sophomore Ashley Palmer contributed 11 boards and eight points. Long Island shot 42 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Bobcats, 43-30. Quinnipiac shot 37 percent and was led by 16 points from Courtney Kaminski and 15 from Jacinda Dunbar.

 

Long Island will return home to Brooklyn to host Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday, Feb. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.