BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team will wrap up a three-game home-stand Monday, hosting cross-borough rival Columbia, Monday, December 14 in the Steinberg Wellness Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT• The Blackbirds dropped a midweek non-conference match-up Wednesday night, as LIU fell to NJIT, 53-44, in a game that saw the two teams combine for 53 turnovers, 19 steals and over 30 fouls. With the loss, the Blackbirds stand at 2-5 on the season.
• Junior
Brianna Farris led LIU with 13 points in the loss. The guard also added five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Senior
Shanice Vaughan had 12 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists, while senior
Jolanna Ford led LIU on the boards, with 12 rebounds.
ALL-TIME SERIES• The two cross-borough rivals have met 15 times since the programs' inceptions. Columbia holds the all-time advantage, 10-5, including two straight wins.
• Last season, Columbia won at home, beating the Blackbirds 54-45. Then-senior
Letava Whippy led LIU in scoring with 12 points.
SCOUTING THE LIONS• Columbia comes into Monday's match up after a strong start to the season. The Lions, under interim head coach Sheila Roux, are 6-4 so far this season. Most recently, the Lions suffered a 57-56 loss on the road at URI.
• Columbia is 1-0 against the Northeast Conference so far this season, with an 82-78 win over Saint Francis U. earlier in the year.
• The Lions have a balanced squad, with five players averaging more than 8.0 points per game, but the go-to player across the court is sophomore forward Camille Zimmerman. Zimmerman leads the Lions in multiple categories, including points per game (16.0), field goal percentage (.473), rebounds per game (9.1), steals (19) and blocks (18). And she's second on the team in assists (24).
• Junior forward Tori Oliver adds 10.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 22 assists so far this season.
• Two guards lead the long-distance attack for Columbia: senior Emily Surloff and sophomore Alexa Giuliano combine to lead the team in made threes. Surloff is also the team leader in assists, with 25, while Giuliano has 13 steals on defense.
• Coming off the bench, junior forward Devon Roeper is another scoring threat, as she is averaging 10.0 points per game in her supportive role.