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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team hosts a must-win game in the Steinberg Wellness Center Monday night, as the Blackbirds can clinch the final Northeast Conference playoff spot with a win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
LIU currently sits in eighth place in the Northeast Conference, in what will be the final playoff spot. The Blackbirds have not clinched a post-season berth yet, as CCSU is still nipping at their heels. The Blue Devils are just two games behind LIU with three games left to play, and as the NEC has proven all season long, anything can happen on any given Saturday. But an LIU win on Monday would give the Blackbirds a two-game advantage and the tiebreaker over the Blue Devils. It's also the final home game for the team's four seniors, Fanny Cavallo, Genise Presley, Cleandra Roberts and Courtney Sullivan, who will be honored before the game.
• The last time FDU and LIU faced off, the Blackbirds earned their second NEC win of the year, as the Blackbirds beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 86-64, in a midday matinee in Stratis Arena. LIU had four players score in double figures for the second straight game, led by career-highs from senior Cleandra Roberts (28 points) and Aleisha Myers (15 points), and strong showings from juniors Letava Whippy (16 points) and Kelly Robinson (10 points, seven rebounds and five assists).
• LIU is coming off one of its biggest wins of the season, as six different members of the team scored in double digits Saturday in the Steinberg Wellness Center, as the Blackbirds beat Wagner, 77-51. Roberts led the team with 14 points, along with three steals. Whippy was one board away from the double double, as she had 13 points, nine rebounds, five steals and three assists. Freshman Shanovia Dove had a breakout performance, with career-highs in both points (11) and rebounds (8). Sophomore Sophie Bhasin also chipped in 11 points, while Robinson and Myers both had 10 points apiece.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• FDU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 37-26. While LIU won the most recent matchup, 86-64, in January, last year, the two teams split, each winning on the others' court. LIU won in Stratis Arena, 70-62, before FDU came to the WRAC, and take the win, 64,63.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
• FDU has struggled with injuries this season, and stands at 2-24 overall, 1-10 in the NEC. But the Knights' lone NEC win came over Wagner, just two weeks ago. FDU beat the Seahawks, 82-70 at home. FDU's other win this season came over Columbia, 69-59, a team that beat the Blackbirds in the first game of the year.
• Kelsey Cruz leads the team in scoring, as she averages 14.1 points per game. Brianna Thomas is next, with 11.7 points per game, along with 5.6 rebounds per game. Point guard Amanda Andrades is third in the NEC in assists per game, with 4.40 per game. Andrades is also third in the NEC in steals per game, averaging 2.28 per contest.