Box Score
Brooklyn, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team saw Monmouth shoot a blistering 67.9 percent from the field in the second half and come back from a six-point halftime deficit to defeat the Blackbirds, 67-57, in Northeast Conference action at the Wellness Center on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Ashley Palmer recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort for the Blackbirds (13-4, 2-3 NEC), while junior Ebony Davis chipped in with 13 points including a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.
The first half saw LIU jump out to a 10-3 lead, including six points from junior Tamika Guz on a variety of short jumpers. The Hawks responded with a 7-0 run to knot the contest, capped by a three-pointer from Carly Thibault at the 12:08 mark.
Sophomore Cleandra Roberts provided a spark off the bench over the next nine minutes, scoring nine points as the Blackbirds pushed their lead back to seven at 25-18 with 3:05 remaining in the stanza. Roberts finished the first half a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including a three-pointer and matched her season high with 11 points for the game.
A traditional three-point play by Davis and a jumper from Palmer bolstered the lead to eight points with 15 seconds remaining in the half, before Alexis Canady drove the length of the court and hit a buzzer-beating layup to make the score 30-24 in favor of the home team heading into the locker room.
Another jumper by Palmer to start the second half pushed the LIU lead to eight. But the Hawks would score the next 10 points, with Abby Martin accounting for the final eight to take a two-point advantage just 4:38 into the period.
Palmer and Davis combined to score the next six points for LIU Brooklyn, and after a layup by Davis gave the Blackbirds a one-point cushion, the Hawks would go on a decisive 21-4 run over the next six minutes to take control. Gena Broadus tallied seven points over the seven-minute stretch, while Thibault had a pair of three-pointers.
The Blackbirds cut the lead to single-digits a number of times, but the Hawks answered every push with a basket of their own. Chevannah Paalvast connected on a three-pointer and a running layup to bump the Monmouth lead back to 14 points with 1:21 left, before LIU scored a pair of baskets in the final minute to trim the final margin to ten.
Thibault went a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, which included four three-pointers to finish with a game-high 14 points off the bench. Broadus matched Palmer's double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Paalvast closed with 12 points and Martin 10.
LIU Brooklyn returns to action on Monday, Jan. 16 as it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson at the Wellness Center at 2:00 p.m.