Game Notes | Live Stats (All Games)
HONOLULU, HAWAI'I - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team hit the road right after Christmas, for its first and only plane trip of the 2012-13 season, as the Blackbirds have headed to Honolulu, Hawai'i, to take part in the Bank of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine Invitational at the University of Hawai'i. The three-day tournament will take place from December 28-30, and will feature LIU, host Hawai'i, Alabama and Cincinnati.
LIU will be looking to build a winning streak, after the Blackbirds beat Ohio 63-54 in the WRAC, Friday, December 21. Junior Cleandra Roberts led the team with a double double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while sophomore Honor Duvall had a career-high 14 points to lead scoring for LIU.
Upon their return to the continental United States, the Blackbirds hit the road right away to start the NEC season at Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart. LIU is “home” against Mount St. Mary's January 12th, with the game being played at the Barclays Center. The next time LIU plays at the WRAC will be Monday, January 14, when the Blackbirds host Wagner at 7 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• All three opponents at the Bank of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine are brand new to the Blackbirds, as LIU Brooklyn has never faced Hawai'i, Alabama or Cincinnati in women's basketball.
FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT - LIVE!
• Live video streaming of LIU's game against Hawai'i will be available on ocsports.tv and can also be seen on BigWestTV.com.
• Audio webcast: Live audio streaming will be available for Saturday's and Sunday's games on www.espn1420am.com
• Live Stats: Live stats are available at HawaiiAthletics.com
SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WAHINE
• This week's games are the first for the University of Hawai'i in 10 days, and the teams' first Division I contests in 27 days.
• Hawai'i's wins this season have come over Tennessee-Martin and Oregon, while they've suffered losses to No. 4 Stanford, No.1 Baylor and No. 13 Oklahoma, amongst others.
• Junior forward Kamilah Martin continues to lead UH and is just shy of averaging a double- double overall. Martin currently averages 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Laura Beeman is in her first season at Hawai'i, after spending two seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Southern California.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
• Cincinnati is 7-3 overall this season, with losses coming to Ohio State, Xavier and Akron, and most recently, a 68-54 win over Belmont.
• Dayeesha Hollins leads the Bearcats in scoring, with a 17.8 points per game average, along with 6.0 rebounds per game. Lesha Dunn is next on the team in scoring, with 8.8 points per game, and 6.6 rebounds per game.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
• The Tide (7-3 overall) has won two of its last three games, most recently topping Virginia in double overtime, 73-70.
• Four players are averaging 10 points or more on the season, led by sophomore Daisha Simmons' 13.7 point contribution per game. She is followed by junior Shafontaye Myers (12.4 ppg), junior Jasmine Robinson (12.0 ppg) and senior Meghan Perkins (10.3 ppg).
• Alabama's losses this season have come at the hands of Wisconsin, Wofford and Chattanooga.
FEAST OF FIRSTS
• This tournament marks the third time in as many weeks that the LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team will take on an opponent for the first time in program history.
• This year, the Blackbirds face off against seven teams who are new to LIU, including UMKC, Towson, Penn, Ohio, Hawai'i, Alabama and Cincinnati.
MS. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD
• Redshirt sophomore Kelly Robinson has been controlling the LIU offense at point guard all sea- son long, and has been dishing the ball with more frequency in each game.
• Most recently, Robinson had 10 assists in LIU's win over Ohio. The career-high for Robinson was the first time a Blackbird has had 10 assists since Kiara Evans had 13 against SFPA in 2010.
BARCLAYS BALLERS
• The Blackbirds will get a chance to play on a big stage in 2013, as it was recently announced that the Mount St. Mary's doubleheader with the men's team will be played in the Barclays Center, Saturday, January 12. The women's game tips off at 12 p.m., with the men to follow at 2:30 p.m.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
• The Blackbirds will double up against two conferences this season: The Ivy League and the BIG EAST.?
• Rutgers was the first of two BIG EAST opponents for the Blackbirds this season. LIU will also face off against Cincinnati at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in Hawai'i in late December. LIU and Cincinnati tip off Sunday, December 30 at 2:30 p.m. Hawaiian time.
• Against the Ancient Eight, LIU beat Columbia in the season opener, 53-42, and fell to Penn in December, 54-40.