Box Score
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BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team lost a grueling game Monday night in the Steinberg Wellness Center, falling to Saint Francis U, 84-76. The two teams were locked in a run-and-gun contest for 40 minutes, in a match-up that saw the score tied seven times, and the lead change hands 12 times.
The Red Flash, one of the highest scoring offenses in the Northeast Conference, set the tone right from the start, scoring the first field goal of the night off a steal just 20 seconds into the game. But the Blackbirds were ready for the quick pace, and within two minutes, had tied the game up at 6-6, with 17:17 on the clock. From there, the two teams stayed close. Junior Letava Whippy gave the Blackbirds a shot of energy at the 14:37 mark, when she grabbed an offensive rebound and made the put-back layup. Her effort sparked a 9-2 run by the Blackbirds that would eventually give them the 18-12 lead with 12:49 to play. But as was the case early on, Saint Francis stayed right with LIU, eventually tying the score up, and retaking the lead. The score would tie three more times before the end of the half, and as the clock expired in the first stanza, senior Cleandra Roberts made a layup to cut SFU's lead to one point, 37-36 at the break.
The second half saw LIU come out firing, when senior Fanny Cavallo hit a jumper in the paint to retake the lead for the Blackbirds, 38-37 at 19:35. LIU couldn't hold on to the lead, however, and the two teams would tie the score up twice more before the Red Flash started to pull away. At 14:57, Saint Francis hit a three-pointer to take the lead, 49-46. The trey was a part of a 10-2 run by the Red Flash, as they eventually went up, 56-48. Freshman Aleisha Myers hit a three pointer at 12:29 to keep LIU in the hunt, but the Red Flash would answer with another run, this time outscoring LIU, 7-1, to take a 63-52 lead. SFU's widest lead of the game came at the 8:13 mark, when a jumper by Aisha Brock made it 68-55, Red Flash.
The Blackbirds were down, but not out, and in the final five minutes of play, LIU began to chip away at the lead. A layup by Cavallo at 3:36 started another LIU run, as the Blackbirds outscored SFU 8-1 over the next two minutes. A three-pointer from freshman Shanovia Dove cut the lead to just four, 75-71 with 1:32 on the clock, and 40 seconds later, a three pointer from senior Courtney Sullivan made it 80-74 with 52 seconds to play. Saint Francis went six-for-six from the free throw line in the final minute of play, however, sealing the victory, 84-76.
Senior forward Alli Williams and guard Aisha Brock combined for 46 of Saint Francis's 84 points. SFU shot 81.8 percent from the free throw line, while the Blackbirds shot only 50 percent from the charity stripe, one of the team's lowest percentages of the season. LIU also struggled from behind the arc, making only four of 17 attempts, just 23.5 percent, in what were the two main differences in the game.
Senior Cleandra Roberts led LIU with 23 points, along with six rebounds and two steals, while senior Fanny Cavallo had a career-high 17 points, along with seven rebounds. Junior Letava Whippy had a double-double, with a career-high 15 rebounds and 11 points, along with four assists and five steals. Freshman Aleisha Myers added 12 points, while junior Kelly Robinson had six points, four rebounds and a game-high nine assists.
Up next, the Blackbirds (4-15, 2-5 NEC) will get another shot at Bryant, as they begin the second half of the Northeast Conference season by hosting the Bulldogs, Saturday, February 1st in the Steinberg Wellness Center. Tip is slated for 2 p.m.