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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team returns home to Brooklyn this weekend, for two tough Northeast Conference matchups in the Steinberg Wellness Center. Up first: one of the top teams in the NEC, Robert Morris, whom LIU will face off against, Saturday, January 25, at 2 p.m. As is the case with every NEC game this season, the matchup will be streamed live at www.NECFrontRow.com
BIRD SEED
• The Blackbirds will be looking to avenge a loss to the Colonials from the 2012-13 season. In that matchup, LIU missed three late shots that would have tied the game up, allowing Robert Morris to take the win, 47-41, in a game that was broadcast nationally on ESPN3. In that game, Robert Morris was led by Artemis Spanou, who had her 15th-straight double-double, with 14 rebounds and 11 points. RMU's Ashley Ravelli led all scorers with 17 points. Krystal Wells and Sophie Bhasin led scoring for LIU with 11 points apiece. Bhasin also had eight rebounds and two steals, while Fanny Cavallo brought down nine rebounds and Tamika Guz grabbed eight.
• LIU split its most recent weekend of NEC play. After falling in a close game to Bryant, 72-66, the Blackbirds bounced back big time, with an 86-64 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in Hackensack Monday afternoon.
• LIU had four players score in double figures for the second straight game, led by career-highs from senior Cleandra Roberts (28 points) and freshman Aleisha Myers (15 points), as well as strong showings from juniors Letava Whippy (16 points) and Kelly Robinson (10 points, seven rebounds and five assists).
• Roberts had a career-high 28 points, as she shot 9-for-18 from the field, and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. She also had five steals, four rebounds and two assists for the Blackbirds.
• The 86 points were the most points scored by the Blackbirds in a game this year. With the win, LIU is now 4-13 overall, 2-4 in the NEC.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• Robert Morris holds a 37-16 advantage in the all-time series against LIU Brooklyn. The Colonials have won the last three games, and 11 of the last 12 meetings.
• The last time these two teams met, LIU missed three late shots that would have tied the game in the final seconds, and Robert Morris won the midday matchup in the Wellness Center, 47-41. Krystal Wells and Sophie Bhasin led scoring for LIU with 11 points apiece. Bhasin also had eight rebounds and two steals, while Fanny Cavallo brought down nine rebounds and Tamika Guz grabbed eight.
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
• Robert Morris comes to the Steinberg Wellness Center with a 9-8 overall record, but tied for first in the Northeast Conference at 5-1. The Colonials have won four straight NEC games, bouncing back from their lone loss, 71-57, to Sacred Heart. Most recently, RMU swept Saint Francis U (83-69) and Wagner (74-63) at home, and now hit the road for four straight road contests. The Colonials are 1-4 on the road so far this season.
• The Colonials were picked to finish first in the NEC in this year's pre-season poll, earning five first place votes after finishing 7-22 overall, and 6-12 in the NEC.
• The reason for those five first place votes? RMU's returning starters. The Colonials brought back the 2012-13 NEC Player of the Year, Artemis Spanou, and the 2012-13 NEC Rookie of the Year, Ashley Ravelli, along with All-Rookie team selection Lou Mataly.
• It's impossible to talk about RMU without mention of Spanou. The reigning Player of the Year, Spanou has been moving up in both the NEC and RMU record books this season. She has recorded double-doubles in 24 consecutive NEC games, and is the NEC double-doubles record holder, with 73 in her career. She also holds the conference record for rebounding in a career, with 1,334 all-time. She's sixth all-time in the NEC in points (1,804), and has set five different career records at Robert Morris. And in 2012-13, she led the nation in rebounding, averaging 15.6 rebounds per game. This season, she leads the team in points per game, averaging 18.8 per contest, and rebounds per game, at 14.8. She's shooting 50.2 percent from the field, the best shooting percentage in the NEC, and is third in the NEC in blocks per game (tied with LIU's Fanny Cavallo at 1.00 bpg). She also knows how to share: she's eighth in the NEC in assists per game, averaging 3.35 assists per game.
• RMU has other weapons in their arsenal, however, including the reigning NEC Rookie of the Year, Ashley Ravelli. She averages 10.1 points per game, and is the only member of the team to start every one of RMU's 17 games.