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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team opens the 2013 Northeast Conference season this Saturday, January 5, with a 12 p.m. game against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The game, part one of a double-header, will be followed by LIU Brooklyn men's basketball vs. Quinnipiac at 3 p.m. The Blackbirds will be fighting jet lag as they open NEC play. LIU returned from its Hawai'i trip early Thursday, before turning around to head to Connecticut Friday morning. LIU will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak, as LIU fell to Hawai'i, Alabama and Cincinnati at the 2012 Bank of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
LIU is led by a trio of upperclassmen: senior Krystal Wells is the team's leading scorer, with a 9.3 points per game average. She's joined atop the standings by fellow senior Tamika Guz (8.5 points per game) and junior Cleandra Roberts (8.4 points per game). Roberts is also the team's leading rebounder, as she is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Junior Fanny Cavallo is second on the team, with 4.8 rebounds per game, while Guz grabs 4.5 rebounds per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• This weekend's matchup will be the 27th between the Bobcats and the Blackbirds. LIU Brooklyn leads the all-time series, 14-12, and Coach Striegler is 5-2 against QU all time.
• Most recently, Quinnipiac beat LIU in overtime, 54-51 in the WRAC, February 18, 2012.
FOLLOW THE GAME - LIVE!
• Live stats, audio and video of Saturday's game will be available by clicking on the appropriate links on the women's basketball schedule page at www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
• Quinnipiac has been picked as the team to beat in the NEC. The Bobcats earned seven first-place votes in the coaches' pre-season poll, and are atop the standings heading into league play, with a 9-2 overall record.
• Quinnipiac has notched wins over St. John's, Yale, Rhode Island and UMass, amongst others, including most recently, an 83-72 win over Northeastern. Losses have come from Hartford and Georgia Tech.
• The Bobcats have three players averaging double-digit points this season. Senior guard Felicia Barron leads the squad with 16.4 points per game. Sophomore guard Jasmine Martin is scoring an average of 12.4 points per game, while junior forward Brittany McQuain has a 10.2 points per game average, and leads the team in rebounds, with a 7.4 rebounds per game average.
BARCLAYS BALLERS
• The Blackbirds will get a chance to play on a big stage in 2013, as it was 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.
• Tickets can be purchased by contacting Greg Fox in the LIU Brooklyn athletic department at 718-488-1018 or gfox@liu.edu.
FEAST OF FIRSTS
• This year, the Blackbirds faced off against seven teams who were new to LIU, including UMKC, Towson, Penn, Ohio, Hawai'i, Alabama and Cincinnati.
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