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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team plays host to the 20th annual Battle of Brooklyn Monday night. The Blackbirds will welcome local rival St. Francis Brooklyn to the Wellness Center at 7 p.m., Monday, January 28th. The game is also the annual T-Shirt night giveaway for LIU fans.
LAST TIME OUT
After taking a 31-30 lead into halftime, the LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team was held to just 18 second-half points, as Bryant beat the Blackbirds, 64-49 Saturday. Senior Tamika Guz led scoring, with 14 points in the loss, while sophomore Honor Duvall had nine points. Junior Cleandra Roberts scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds, while sophomore Letava Whippy had eight rebounds and five assists. With the loss, LIU is now 4-14 overall, and 1-6 in the Northeast Conference.
LEADING THE BLACKBIRDS
Senior co-captains Tamika Guz and Krystal Wells continue to be the lynch-pin of LIU's offense. Guz averages 10.0 points per game, while Wells chips in 9.6 points per game. In conference games, however, the numbers go up. Guz is averaging 12.3 points per game against NEC teams, along with 5.0 rebounds per game, while Wells is scoring 10.1 points per game in the league, and grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• LIU Brooklyn holds the all-time advantage over its closest NEC rival, 47-19, including the last seven straight. The last time that the Terriers beat the Blackbirds was January 10, 2009, in head coach Gail Striegler's first season at the helm. Since then, LIU has swept every matchup, including most recently, a 60-53 win in last year's Battle of Brooklyn at St. Francis.
FOLLOW THE GAME - LIVE!
• As is the case with every NEC game this season, home or away, FREE live video of the game will be available at www.NECFrontRow.com
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
• St. Francis struggled earlier in the season, and now stands at 6-12 on the season. The Terriers also had an eight-game losing streak, which stretched from Nov. 20th to Dec. 21st. SFBK started getting wins once NEC play began, and they've since beaten Sacred Heart, Wagner and Fairleigh Dickinson.
• Most recently, the Terriers have suffered tough losses to Monmouth (68-64) and Central Connecticut (55-29), to fall to 3-4 overall in the conference.
• St. Francis looks to Sarah Benedetti as its leading scorer. The sophomore is averaging 12.4 points per game, including a 44.1% shooting percentage from behind the arc. She's also 11th int he nation in three-point field goals made, as she averages 3.06 per game. The Terriers also get regular points from Eilidh Simpson (8.6 points per game), Jessica Kaufman (7.9 points per game), Jaymee Veney (7.8 points per game) and Jasmin Robinson (7.6 points per game).
2012? FUHGHETABOUDIT!
• Since the calendar year changed, LIU has steadily been improving its team shooting percentage. Since shooting .298 against opponents in Hawaii, the Blackbirds have increased their percentage every single game.
• In the first game in 2013, against Quinnipiac, LIU shot .324. From there, it's risen, in games against Sacred Heart (.367), Wagner (.377), Monmouth (.379) and Fairleigh Dickinson (.424).
• Conversely, the number of team turnovers has also been declining steadily. The team had 21 against Quinnipiac, 18 against Mount and Wagner, and an almost season-low 16 against FDU on MLK Jr. Day.
KRYSTAL-KLEAR KOURT VISION
• Senior Krystal Wells tallied five steals against Monmouth on Jan. 19, the most by any Blackbird this season. In fact, it was the most steals in a game since Dec. 5, 2011, when former LIU standout Kiara Evans had five against Wagner.
BEATING THEM ON THE BOARDS
• Though the Blackbirds haven't been able to convert solid defensive efforts to a win, LIU has managed to out-rebound opponents multiple times this season.
• LIU has out-rebounded opponents 11 times this season, including all four victories. Most recently, the Blackbirds out-rebounded FDU, 45-34.
• LIU is also one of the better rebounding teams in the NEC. The Blackbirds average 16.81 offensive rebounds per game, the most in the league. They're also fourth in the league in defensive rebounds, at 25.94 per game.
MS. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD
• Redshirt sophomore Kelly Robinson has been controlling the LIU offense at point guard all season long, and has been dishing the ball with more frequency in each game.
• Robinson has 79 assists so far this season, for a 4.94 assists per game average. She currently ranks third in the league in assists, and is fourth in the NEC in assists/turnover ratio.
• Robinson has led LIU in assists in every single game so far this season.
• 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.
OPENING UP THE OFFENSE
• After scoring a season-high 70 points in a loss to Wagner, and tallying three players in double-digit scoring, the Blackbirds up their game against FDU.
• LIU matched its season high in points (70), and for the first time, had four members of the team score more than 10 points. Senior Tamika Guz led the way with 18 points, followed by Krystal Wells (15), Cleandra Roberts (12) and Letava Whippy (11).
GUZ-LING POINTS
• Senior Tamika Guz has stepped her game since the beginning of the year, and after leading LIU in scoring in back-to-back games in December, Guz has become one of the Blackbirds' most consistent scoring threats.
• Guz had a career-high 21 points against Wagner on January 14. She went 8-for-10 from the field, including a nearly-perfect 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
• In LIU's OT win over Towson, Guz had a career-high 18 points, shooting 9-for-13 from the field. She led the team in scoring, and also added five rebounds and two blocks in the win.
• Guz added five more rebounds and two more blocks in a loss to Rutgers, and also scored in double-digits for the second game in a row, as she led LIU with 10 points.
LIU ON THE WEB
• For the first time ever, home LIU Brooklyn women's basketball games will be seen live via the internet.
• In conjunction with Pack Network, the Northeast Conference launched NEC Front Row, an online digital network with multi-platform access.
• All home contests and select road conference games not broadcast regionally or nationally will be seen on necfrontrow.com.
BLACKBIRDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
• LIU Brooklyn is fully connected to all of its fans through social media. Follow all of LIU athletics via our Twitter and Facebook pages.
• Follow LIU athletics on Twitter via @LIUAthletics. Also, follow the LIU women's basketball team on Twitter @LIUwbb• LIU also has a Facebook page. Go to Facebook.com/LIUAthletics and click “Like”.
THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
• The Northeast Conference celebrates its 32nd anniversary this season. The 12-member conference dates back to 1981, when it originated as the men's basketball-only ECAC-Metro Conference.
• LIU Brooklyn is one of the six charter institutions that helped form the alliance in 1981, and all six schools remain affiliated with the NEC today.
• With the addition of five more colleges and universities over the years, including Bryant as a full member this season, the NEC has spread its footprint over five states and into such major media markets as New York City, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.