Box Score
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NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – Senior Cleandra Roberts was an offensive force for the Blackbirds Monday night in Detrick Gym, as she scored 26 points to lead the LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team to a win over Central Connecticut State, 59-48. With the win, the Blackbirds improve to 6-17 overall, and 4-8 in the Northeast Conference.
LIU won the game in the first half, as the Blackbirds flustered the home team and surged to an early lead. CCSU struggled with shooting early on, as they shot 1-for-9 in the first nine minutes. Freshman Aleisha Myers opened scoring for the Blackbirds with a three-pointer at 18:27, and Roberts followed up with a layup just 30 seconds later. Senior Fanny Cavallo and junior Kelly Robinson both added layups to give LIU a 9-2 lead, and CCSU called a 30 second timeout. The break didn't do the home team any good, as junior Letava Whippy hit a free throw, and Roberts drained another jumper at 14:13, to make it 12-2 LIU.
Roberts had 14 of her 26 points in the first half, as LIU's defense held CCSU to just 13 points before the break, and a 26.1 team shooting percentage. It was the fewest points the Blue Devils have scored in a 20-minute period this season. The Blackbirds also forced 19 turnovers in the first half, including eight steals, and scored 16 points off those turnovers, including 12 on fast breaks. LIU led at halftime, 32-13.
The second half saw Central Connecticut start to hit shots, including two in the first 35 seconds of the half to cut the lead to 15 points. But Roberts converted a traditional three-point play at the 19 minute mark, making up the difference. A minute and a half later, Roberts hit another layup that would spark an LIU run. The Blackbirds outscored CCSU 9-0 over the next four minutes, including a three pointer from Whippy, and a layup from senior Courtney Sullivan that gave LIU its widest lead of the day, 46-19 at 13:25. Just over a minute later, Myers hit back-to-back three pointers, pushing LIU's lead to 52-27 with 11:43.
But then the Blue Devils came surging back, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field in the second stanza. After Roberts made a layup at 10:12 to make it 54-31, CCSU went on a tear. The home team held LIU scoreless for almost nine minutes, launching a 15-0 run that would cut the lead to just eight points. A jumper by senior guard Jessica Babe would make it 54-46 with 2:17 left in the game. But the Blackbirds were able to manage the clock in the final two minutes of play, getting the stops when they needed them most, and keeping CCSU from getting any closer. Cavallo hit a jumper in the paint at 1:11, to give LIU an 11-point cushion, 57-46, and sophomore Sophie Bhasin drained two free throws with 23 seconds on the clock to seal the win, 59-48 in LIU's favor.
Senior Cleandra Roberts led LIU with 26 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Aleisha Myers went 3-for-4 from three-point range to add 11 points. Junior Letava Whippy added eight points, four rebounds and four steals, while junior Kelly Robinson had four points, six rebounds and a game-high five assists.
Up next, the Blackbirds head to Pennsylvania to take on two of the top teams in the NEC. LIU will take on Saint Francis U., Saturday, February 15 at 1 p.m. in Loretto, Pa., before heading to Moon Township, Pa., to take on league-leading Robert Morris, Monday, February 17 at 7 p.m.