Box Score
Brooklyn, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team went on a decisive 32-0 run that spanned nearly 14 minutes to overcome a 13-point first-half deficit and run away with a 69-45 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon at the Wellness Center. Senior Ashley Palmer had 20 points and eight rebounds as the Blackbirds improve to 14-5 overall and 3-4 in Northeast Conference play.
The Mount came out and took it to LIU in the beginning of the first half, converting on eight of its first 10 shots. A three-pointer from Sydney Henderson at the 9:53 mark gave the Mountaineers a 25-12 lead midway through the period.
The two teams traded baskets for the next four minutes before a layup from Ebony Davis trimmed the Blackbird deficit to single digits at 29-20 with 4:57 remaining in the half. The basket sparked a 14-0 spurt over the final minutes of the period, with Davis and Palmer accounting for 10 of their team's points over the stretch.
A jumper by senior Marika Sprow closed the scoring in the stanza and gave LIU a 32-29 lead heading into halftime. The Blackbirds allowed Mount to shoot 60.0 percent in the period, but dominated the boards to the tune of an 18-4 edge. Palmer had 12 points and four offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes of action, while Davis added 10 points and five boards.
LIU continued its charge to start the second half, scoring the first 18 points of the period to take control. Back-to-back three-point plays by Palmer, and a pair of layups by senior Kiara Evans keyed the stretch that built the Blackbirds' cushion to 50-29 with 11:34 remaining.
All told, LIU shot 14-for-20 (70.0 percent) from the field while running off the 32 consecutive points over a stretch of 13 minutes and 43 seconds. However, it was the defensive performance over the period of time that was the most impressive aspect. The Blackbirds forced Mount St. Mary's into 16 consecutive misses from the field, and also forced eight turnovers that led to a number of buckets in transition.
A free throw from Kayla Grossett broke the dry spell for the Mountaineers, and started a quick 5-0 spurt that pulled the visitors to within 50-34 with 10:28 left. But eight straight points from the Blackbirds bumped the lead back to 58-34 and helped LIU cruise to the finish line.
For the game, the Blackbirds had an astounding 42-21 edge in rebounding, and held Mount St. Mary's to just 17.6 percent shooting from the floor in the second half. Five different players had multiple steals in the contest, led by three from Evans who also chipped in with nine points, five rebounds and five assists. Davis closed with 12 points and eight boards off the bench.
Henderson had 12 points to lead the way for Mount, who dropped to 7-11 and 3-4 in the NEC with the loss.
The Blackbirds will continue NEC play on Monday, Jan. 23 with a tilt with Wagner in Staten Island at 7:00 p.m. The contest will be webcast live over the internet via the Pack Network.