SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team (6-12, 3-4 NEC) returns to the Northeast Monday, January 26, as the Blackbirds will take on league-leading Bryant (13-5, 6-1 NEC), in a Monday night matchup. The game, LIU's third-straight road tilt, is slated to tip off at 3:00 p.m. in the Chace Athletic Center.
BLACKBIRD BITS• LIU had 11 of 12 players score in Saturday afternoon's Northeast Conference match-up with Fairleigh Dickinson, as the Blackbirds beat the Knights in Stratis Arena, 75-70. With the win, LIU improves to 6-12 overall, 2-4 in the NEC.
• Junior
Sophie Bhasin led the scoring with 19 points, along with six rebounds and five steals, while sophomores
Brianna Farris and
Shanovia Dove added 13 points each. Junior
Shanice Vaughan had a complete game for LIU, with eight points, a team-high eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.
• LIU had 11 players score in the win, including 38 points from the bench. The Blackbirds also had 21 steals.
ALL TIME SERIES• Monday's matchup will mark the tenth time the two teams have faced off in women's basketball, with Bryant holding the 6-3 advantage. The Bulldogs have won four straight against the Blackbirds, including both games in 2013-14, and the first meeting of the 2014-15 season.
• When the two teams met in early January, in the Steinberg Wellness Center, Bryant won, 77-69. The Bulldogs had the first two baskets of the game, and led wire to wire, despite the Blackbirds making many attempts to take the lead.
• Junior
Sophie Bhasin led LIU with 11 points and seven rebounds, along with two steals.
• Sophomore
Brianna Farris had 12 points in the loss, while sophomore
Shanovia Dove had 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists for LIU.
• Bryant was led by 19 points each from Tiersa Winder and Breanna Rucker. Rucker also had a team-high 15 rebounds, while Morgan Olander also had a double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds, as well as five blocks.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS• Bryant has remained the top team in the NEC so far this season, standing at 13-5 overall, and 6-1 in the league. The Bulldogs are also a tough team to beat in the Chace, as they are 8-1 at home.
• The Bulldogs, after beating LIU in the first conference game of the year, have gone on to beat SFBK (65-53), FDU (82-77), SFU (87-83, Wagner (84-48), and Sacred Heart (71-67). Bryant's only loss came to the other league-leader, CCSU, who beat the Bulldogs, 70-59.
• Bryant is currently the best best scoring offense in the NEC, averaging 72.6 points per game as a team, and they are second overall in field goal percentage, shooting 40.4 percent from the field. They're also a tough rebounding team, as they out-rebound their opponents by a league-best average of 8.2 rebounds per game.
• All five of Bryant's starters average over 10.0 points per game
• Junior guards Brianna Rucker and Tiersa Winder both rank in the top ten in the NEC in scoring, as Rucker (7th) averages 16.1 points per game, and Winder (9th) averages 15.3 points per game. Rucker is also the conference's top rebounder, pulling down 11.7 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore center Moran Olander is also in the top ten in the conference in two major defensive categories, as she is third in the conference in blocked shots (1.41 per game), and seventh in total rebounds, bringing down 7.9 per game.
• Senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey is also a strong player for the Bulldogs, as she averages 5.17 assist per game (second in the NEC), and scores 12.6 points per game. Meanwhile, freshman Ivory Bailey (no relation), adds 12.1 points per game.
LIGHTS OUT, KNIGHTS OUT• LIU's 75-70 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, January 24 was one of the best offensive performance by the Blackbird squad this season.
• The 51 points scored in the first half were the most points in a half by the team so far this year.
• The Blackbirds shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first half, the highest half percentage all season long. LIU also shot 50 percent from the field overall, the best shooting percentage by the team this season.