PHOENIX, Ariz. - LIU Brooklyn women's basketball is out west this week, taking on two Arizona teams. First up for the Blackbirds is Grand Canyon, Saturday, December 28th at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, in Phoenix, Ariz.  

The Blackbirds are coming off their first win of the season, a 67-52 manhandling of Monmouth. LIU beat their former Northeast Conference rivals with some of the best shooting of the season, as the team went 51 percent from the field, 67 percent from behind the arc, and 81 percent from the free throw line. 

Senior Cleandra Roberts led the Blackbirds, tying her career high with 23 points, while junior Letava Whippy had a career-high 18 points, and freshman Aleisha Myers went 3-for-5 from behind the arc for a career-high 13 points. Roberts, who also led LIU with 21 points against Towson earlier in the week, was named NEC Player of the Week for her outstanding play. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• This is the first time that LIU Brooklyn will play Grand Canyon in women's basketball. 

SCOUTING THE ANTELOPES

• Grand Canyon is in the midst of their first season as an NCAA Division I team. The Lopes established themselves as a Division II powerhouse, before making the move to join the Western Athletic Conference this year. 

• The Lopes had three straight 20-win seasons in Division II in recent years, including four NCAA tournament berths in the last five years and a winning record in each of the last six seasons. In 2012-13, the team went 23-9, advancing to the NCAA West Region semifinals.

• Head Coach Trent May is a four-time PacWest Coach of the Year, and has led his team to a 10-2 record so far in Division I. 

• Off to  a strong start this year, GCU cracked the Top 25 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major poll. The Antelopes, 10-2 and winners of five straight for the second time this season, are No. 25. They had been receiving votes the last three weeks.

• The two losses came to Mississippi State (71-62), and UCLA (62-60), while the squad has wins over Western New Mexico, North Texas, and most recently, Hawai'i, whom GCU beat 54-51 on December 23rd. 

• Grand Canyon is led by senior Judy Jones. Last year, the senior was a D2 third-team All-American, and averaged a double-double with 16.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. She was the PacWest Player of the Year and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, along with ranking fifth in the nation with 20 double-doubles. She spent two seasons at Texas-San Antonio before transferring to GCU. This season, she is averaging 14.3 points per game, along with 9.1 points per game, both team highs. 

• Junior guard Kaitlyn Petersen, who transferred to GCU after stints at Cal State Northridge and Gonzaga, is second on the team with 13.3 points per game, while senior forward  Johanna Brown, a transfer from Dixie State, has 11.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. Senior forward Deanna Daniels is next on the team with 11.4 points per game. 

SHARP SHOOTERS

• In their 67-52 win over Monmouth on Dec. 14, the Blackbirds had the best shooting percentages of the year so far. LIU shot 67% from the three-point line, going 6-for-9, 51% from the field, and 81% from the free throw line. 

• It was the highest scoring output of the season's first nine games (67).

• Senior Cleandra Roberts led the Blackbirds, tying her career high with 23 points, while junior Letava Whippy had a career-high 18 points, and freshman Aleisha Myers went 3-for-5 from behind the arc for a career-high 13 points.

NICE! NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Senior Cleandra Roberts was named the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week, it was announced by the Northeast Conference Dec. 16. It was the first NEC Weekly honor of her career. 

• Roberts' week consisted of two non-conference games and two 20-plus performances. The 6-foot forward shot nearly 60 percent from the field and averaged 22.0 points per contest during a two-game road swing.

• Scoring 23 points and pulling down six rebounds, Roberts spearheaded the Blackbirds' fruitful offensive effort against MAAC member Monmouth. She went 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 1-for-1 clip from downtown, while helping LIU to its highest scoring output of the season's first nine games. 

• Earlier in the week, Roberts recorded 21 points, three rebounds and two steals in a setback at CAA member Towson. The veteran Blackbird scored 17 points over the game's first 25 minutes, as LIU built a 38-35 lead

• Efficient shooting was a key part of Roberts' recent success. She went 16-for-27 shooting from the floor, and sank 11 of 14 free throws last week. Roberts leads LIU with a 17.6 points per game average, along with an 8.2 rebounds per game average.

UP NEXT 

LIU Brooklyn will head north to Flagstaff, Ariz., where they will take on Northern Arizona, Monday, December 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET.