Box Score
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BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team dropped its fifth Northeast Conference game of the season Saturday in the Steinberg Wellness Center, as Robert Morris beat the Blackbirds, 66-52. With the win, RMU moved into sole possession of first place in the NEC, with a 6-1 record.
The game started off on a close clip, with the two teams trading points early on. Freshman Aleisha Myers hit a three pointer at 17:14 to tie it up at 7-7, and 30 seconds later, hit another one to give LIU the lead, 10-7. RMU senior Artemis Spanou made two layups in the next minute, giving the Colonials back the lead, 11-10 at 15:30, and Robert Morris led from that point on.
Spanou's layups were two baskets in a 12-1 RMU that spanned six minutes, and widened the visiting team's lead up to 19-11 at 10:29. The Blackbirds answered with a small run of their own, outscoring RMU 7-2 in the next minute of play, to close the gap to 21-18 at 9:08. It was the closest the Blackbirds would come. Robert Morris took a 34-26 lead into the break.
Coming out of the break, the two teams were even for the first eight minutes of play, going basket-for-basket. It wasn't until the 12-minute mark that RMU started to break away. Up by 10 points, the Colonials went on a 10-3 run that widened the lead to 54-39, their widest lead of the day.
But a layup by senior Fanny Cavallo sparked another LIU run, as the Blackbirds went on a 10-2 run in answer to RMU's. Sophomore Sophie Bhasin hit two threes, while Cavallo had two layups, and the Blackbirds cut the gap to 56-49 with 6:32 to play.
LIU struggled to score in the final five mintues, however, making only one field goal in that time, while Robert Morris scored 10 points, ending the game on a 10-3 run. That run made the final score 66-52, in favor of the Colonials.
The Blackbirds struggled with turnovers against RMU, turning the ball over a season-high 26 points, with Robert Morris scoring 25 of its points off those turnovers. The Blackbirds also shot 39.6 percent from the field, and made only six free throws, the lowest team total this season.
RMU's Artemis Spanou led all players with 23 points, but the Blackbirds snapped one of her more impressive streaks. The senior had tallied 24 straight double-doubles against NEC opponents, spanning back to the start of her junior season. LIU held her to just eight rebounds, stopping the double double, and becoming the first NEC team since 2012 to limit her in that way.
Senior Cleandra Roberts led LIU with 15 points, along with six rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Sophie Bhasin had 13 points, while freshman Aleisha Myers chipped in 10 points, going 3-for-6 from behind the three-point line. Senior Fanny Cavallo added eight points, a team-high eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while junior Letava Whippy had a game-high six assists, and senior Courtney Sullivan added a career-high four assists.
Up next, the Blackbirds (4-14, 2-5 NEC) host Saint Francis U. (6-13, 4-3 NEC), Monday, January 27 at 7 p.m.