BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team (5-12, 2-4 NEC) continues its' four-game road trip Saturday afternoon, with the Blackbirds heading to Hackensack, N.J., Saturday, January 24, to take on Northeast Conference opponent Fairleigh Dickinson (5-12, 2-4 NEC). The two teams, currently tied for sixth place in the standings, will square off in the first game of a double-header at Stratis Arena, with the women tipping off at 2 p.m., before the men's teams play at 4:30 p.m.
BLACKBIRD BITS• LIU is looking to bounce back from a tough Monday night loss on the road. The Blackbirds led Central Connecticut State, 41-32 at halftime, but could not sustain momentum in the second stanza, losing to the Blue Devils in Detrick Gymnasium, 75-70. Junior
Sophie Bhasin had 33 points in the Northeast Conference loss for LIU, just two points shy of her career best.
• Bhasin was 3-for-4 from long distance, and 10-for-12 from the free throw line.
•
Jolanna Ford led LIU on the boards with 10 rebounds, along with six points
• Freshman
Stylz Sanders and junior
Brianna Farris each had seven points in the loss for LIU.
ALL-TIME SERIES • This will be the 67th matchup between LIU and FDU women's basketball, in a series that dates back to 1977. The Knights hold the all-time advantage in the series, 38-28, but the Blackbirds have recent history on their side. Last year,LIU won both matchups between the two squads.
• In the first meeting between these two schools this season, the Blackbirds held on for an 81-71 win at home, despite the Knights eliminating a 17-point second half lead and eventually taking the lead late in the game. The Blackbirds were led by junior
Sophie Bhasin's 27 points, while sophomore
Shanovia Dove had a career-high 16. Erika Livermore and Kelsey Cruz tallied 25 and 24 points, respectively, on a combined 18-of-36 shooting (50%) for FDU.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS• FDU hosts the Blackbirds on a hot streak. After a rough 0-4 start to the NEC season, the Knights have won two straight, beating Wagner, 72-70, and trouncing league-leader Mount St. Mary's, 78-56.
• The win over the Mountaineers was a total-team effort for the Knights. It was the team's largest win margin in two seasons. Guard Kelsey Cruz was the high-scorer, with 22 points, while Valerie Oyakhilome, Amanda Andrades and Kiana Brown all chipped in with double-digit points. FDU shot 50% from the floor and 42.9% from long-range in the win.
• As a squad, FDU leads the conference in blocked shots, averaging 4.76 blocks per game, and is second in the NEC in steals, snagging 9.35 a game.
• The Knights are led by a trio of upperclassmen, who are the best at what they do.
• Junior guard Kelsey Cruz is the scorer. She is currently third in the NEC in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game. Junior center Erika Livermore is sixth in the conference, averaging 16.4 points per game. Those two combine for the the biggest one-two punch of any team in the league, and FDU is the only squad with two players in the top 10 in scoring.
• Livermore is also the team's top defender. She is second in the NEC in rebounds, pulling down 10.0 per game, and leads the league in blocked shots, swatting an average of 3.06 shots per game. She is also the top offensive rebounder in the conference, grabbing 4.65 per contest. She's also one of the most efficient shooters, averaging 45.6% from the field.
• Senior point guard Amanda Andrades is also the best at what she does - dishing out assists. She is at the top of the conference in assists, averaging 6.18 assists per game. She has 105 assists so far this season, at least a dozen more than the next point guard on the list. She also does her job without turning the ball over: she has the best assists to turnover ratio in the league, at 2.69. And she is second in the NEC in steals per game, averaging 2.82, just ahead of LIU's
Letava Whippy (2.27).