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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team fell to Rider Thursday, 62-48 in Alumni Gym. Senior Cleandra Roberts led LIU in scoring for the second game in a row, with 16 points and 16 rebounds for the double double, but it wasn't enough to stop the bucking Broncs, who earned their first win of the season, as LIU fell to 0-2.

Rider took an early lead over the Blackbirds, led by redshirt junior Lashay Banks, a transfer from Cincinnati in her first season with the Broncs. Banks, who finished the night with a game-high 21 points, scored eight unanswered points in the first five minutes of the game, making it 10-0 Rider at 15:30. Freshman Aleisha Myers got LIU on the board for the first time at 14:51, with a three from the right side. Rider continued to lead, as the Blackbirds struggled to get an offense going. LIU shot 15.4 percent from the field in the first half, and would not come closer than five points. Roberts had two offensive boards and a layup at 7:37, to make it 16-11, Rider. The Broncs then went on a 7-1 run, including two layups by Marritta Gillcrease, and took a 25-15 lead into the break.

In the second half, LIU was able to get an offense going, but it took some time. Rider widened the lead to 35-19 on a jumper from Banks at 16:05, giving them a 16 point lead, the widest of the game. But the Blackbirds hit their stride, and started to hit their shots. A layup from senior Fanny Cavallo aat 14:48 got the scoring going, and Roberts added a layup off a steal from Letava Whippy, to make it 35-25 just above the 14 minute mark.

Whippy had a layup at 14:06, and converted the free throw to cut the lead to nine, 37-28. LIU continued to chip away at the Broncs, going on a 14-4 run, that would last just over three minutes. Robert had traditional three-point play, junior Ashley Brown added a layup, and Whippy went 2-for-2 from the free throw line in the run, cutting the score to 41-37.

LIU stayed close, with a jumper in the paint by Brown at 9:03, 44-39, but Rider Regained control with the help of LIU's foul trouble. With the Blackbirds over the team limit, Rider went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to make it 52-41, opening it back up for the Broncs. In the end, Rider rode the lead to the end of the stanza, taking the win from LIU, 62-48.

Up next for the Blackbirds is NJIT, who will play LIU in the Steinberg Wellness Center, Wednesday, November 20 at 7 p.m.

NOTES
Roberts led LIU with her first double double of the season, 16 points and 16 rebounds… Whippy finished the game with 10 points, seven rebounds and four steal… Fanny Cavallo had a career-high ten points in the loss, along with six rebounds… the Blackbirds out-rebounded Rider, 40-37, including 17 offensive rebounds… LIU had 22 turnovers, Rider 19… Lashay Banks led Rider with 21 points, while MyNeshia McKenzie had 18 points and 11 rebounds.