Game Notes

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team hits the road for the second weekend in a row, as the Blackbirds will head south to Washington, D.C., to take on the Howard Bison, Sunday, November 22 at 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
LIU is just one game into the 2015-16 season, as the Blackbirds opened at Buffalo last Saturday, November 14. There, LIU suffered a 55-38 setback at the hands of the Bulls to start the year 0-1.The season opener was not without its bright spots for LIU, however. Senior Jolanna Ford set a new career-high with 16 boards to lead both teams; it was the most rebounds by a single player for LIU in a game since 2013. Ford also scored all eight of her points from the free throw line, going 8-for-10, a part of a larger effort, as the Blackbirds shot 75% from the free throw line. Junior Shanovia Dove scored 14 points to lead the Blackbirds in scoring. The Blackbirds also had 13 team steals, including three each from sophomores Paris Jones and Stylz Sanders.

ALL-TIME SERIES
LIU Brooklyn leads the all time series against the Bison, 2-1.The two teams first met back in 1976, and the Blackbirds won the series opener, 62-43. The two teams didn't meet up again until 2001, a match-up that Howard took to even the all-time score. The squads took another extended break from each other, until last season. In 2014, the Bison returned to Brooklyn to reignite the rivalry.
In last season's meeting, the Blackbirds had four players score in double figures and then-junior Shanice Vaughan had a near triple double, as the Blackbirds beat the Bison, 83-74 in the Steinberg Wellness Center.
Jolanna Ford (15 points), then-senior Letava Whippy (12 points), and Shanovia Dove (13 points) all scored in the double digits, while Vaughan had 11 rebounds, nine points and nine assists, in a near triple double. Brianna Farris was also a key contributor, as she went 3-for-4 from behind the arc for nine points in the win.
For Buffalo, then-seniors Te'Shya Heslip and Cheyenne Brown led the offensive output, scoring 22 and 15 points respectively. Heslip also led Howard on the boards, with 10 rebounds for the double-double.
Howard's top returning performer from that match-up is junior forward Sydni Johnson. Last year against LIU, she had 14 points, three steals and eight rebounds, including five offensive boards. Her classmate, guard Jasmine Hill, also scoured in double-digits, with 11 points, going 3-for-6 from behind the arc.

SCOUTING THE BISON
Howard comes into the match-up at 0-3 on the season, but with a tough road trip to start the year. After a loss at UIC, the Bison traveled to take on #24 Northwestern (L, 89-49) and Arizona (L, 65-28). Sunday's match-up will be the home opener for a travel-weary Howard squad.
The Bison are also under new leadership this season. After going 4-27 last season, including 3-13 in the MEAC, new head coach Tiesha "Ty" Grace is looking to turn the program around. Grace joined the Bison after two seasons as the head coach at Division II New Haven, where she won over 73 percent of her games, helped the team set a school record in conference wins (16), and advanced her squad to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Grace also spent seven seasons at Seton Hall, including most recently, from 2009-13.
The Bison have been led by senior center Victoria Gonzales so far this season. The preseason third-team All-MEAC selection leads the team in both major categories, averaging 18.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. Now-senior forward Johnson is the next biggest threat, averaging 8.3 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT
The Blackbirds return home to host the 2015 LIU Brooklyn Turkey Classic. LIU will welcome Florida State and Sam Houston State to Brooklyn, for three games played over three days, November 27-29. The Blackbirds open with Florida State in the Steinberg Wellness Center on Friday, November 27 at 2 p.m., and close the tournament taking on Sam Houston State at the Barclays Center, Sunday, November 29 at 12 p.m.