Box Score
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Sophomore Letava Whippy was a force to be reckoned with in the Wellness Center Monday night, as the Suva, Fiji native had a her first career double-double to lead LIU to a big Northeast Conference victory. Whippy racked up a career-high 14 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and three assists to lead LIU Brooklyn past the #2 team in the NEC, Saint Francis (Pa.), 61-43.
Whippy was one of three players in double figures; senior Tamika Guz added 12 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Sophie Bhasin had 12 points and five rebounds. Sophomore point guard Kelly Robinson had eight assists and three steals to drive the offense.
“It was a great performance, top to bottom, “ head coach Gail Striegler said after the game. “Everyone who went in really played hard. It was just good minutes by everybody that played. “
LIU led from the get-go, and held on to that lead for the entirety of the game, using strong defense to keep the Red Flash to just 43 points. Saint Francis would tie the score twice, and kept it close throughout, but aggressive Blackbird play kept the Red Flash on their heels.
The first half was close from wire to wire; a layup from Whippy, followed by one from Guz opened the game for LIU, up 4-0. SFU would tie it up just a minute later, and the score would be tied once more, 6-6. But a jumper by junior Fanny Cavallo made it 8-6 Blackbirds at 14:44, and LIU would not trail again.
LIU's biggest lead of the first half came at the 7:50 mark, when Bhasin hit a jumper to put the Blackbirds up eight, 19-11. Saint Francis stayed within striking distance, whittling away LIU's lead to as few as two points, but the Blackbirds used a jumper from sophomore Honor Duvall with 24 seconds left in the half to take a six-point advantage into the break, 27-21.
The Blackbirds didn't let up in the second half. Guz hit a layup one minute into the half, and then hit another 40 seconds later, to make it 31-21 at 18:01.
Less than a minute later, Saint Francis' star player, Alli Williams made a layup to cut it to six, but that was the closest SFU would come. Williams went 4-for-14 from the field, as LIU's defense held her to just 10 points.
At the 12-minute mark, LIU used a three-pointer from Bhasin to regain momentum, and from there, the Blackbirds went on a 13-5 run. The lead was widened to 16 points with two free throws from Bhasin at 8:24, and LIU was up, 49-33.
Strong free throw shooting proved to be crucial down the line for the Blackbirds, especially when the Red Flash began to foul in the final three minutes. Whippy and sophomore Kelly Robinson went a combined 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minutes of play, to solidify LIU's 18-point victory, 61-43.
With the win, LIU improves to 5-16 overall and 2-8 in NEC play, while Saint Francis falls to 12-9 overall, 7-3 in the NEC.
Up next for the Blackbirds is another shot at Brooklyn rival St. Francis (N.Y.), as LIU will travel 0.7 of a mile up the road to take on the Terriers, Saturday, February 9th at 2 p.m.
NOTES: Whippy led all scorers with a career-high 14 points… Alexa Hayward led SFU with 11 points, while Williams had 10 points and 14 rebounds… the Blackbirds also held SFU guard Nickia Gibbs to just five points… the Blackbirds had a total team effort… Cavallo had four points and six rebounds, senior Krystal Wells chipped in eight points, four assists and two rebounds, and sophomore Honor Duvall had six points and three rebounds…. the Blackbirds out-rebounded SFU 48-30, including 16 offensive rebounds… LIU scored 13 second-chance points, and 18 points off turnovers… LIU had a season-low 14 turnovers as a team.