BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball is returning home to the Steinberg Wellness Center this weekend, for the first of three straight home games for the Blackbirds. LIU will take on its second-straight Patriot League squad, as the Blackbirds welcome Colgate this Saturday, December 5 at 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT• LIU improved to 2-3 on the season this Wednesday, after a thrilling overtime win against Navy. The Blackbirds rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to come back and force the Midshipmen into their fourth consecutive overtime game, where LIU took the win, 68-66.
• Junior guard
Shanovia Dove led LIU with a career-high 27 points, along with nine rebounds and three assists, including 8-for-10 shooting from the free throw line and 5-for-10 shooting from long distance. Dove's five three-pointers were the most for a Blackbird since 2012. Sophomore
Paris Jones added 15 points, while senior
Shanice Vaughan had 11 points, six rebounds and four steals. Senior
Jolanna Ford added eight points and nine rebounds in the win.
ALL-TIME SERIES• Colgate leads the all-time series between the two teams that dates back to 1987, 7-3. The last time the two teams faced off was 2012, in the LIU Brooklyn Turkey Classic. The Raiders won that match-up, 75-61.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS• Colgate enters the weekend at 0-4 so far this season. They suffered an overtime loss in their home opener against Monmouth in November, 86-80, and three road losses, at Kent State (76-71), at Cornell (73-60) and most recently, at No. 20 DePaul (96-46).
• The Raiders were picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League, in the same spot where they finished the 2014-15 season.
• Colgate has a tough week following their trip to downtown Brooklyn. After playing at LIU, the Raiders return home to host defending national championship UConn, December 9, and perennial powerhouse Gonzaga on December 13.
• Colgate is led by junior guard, Paige Kriftcher, who is putting up 16.0 points per game. Freshman guard Kateri Stone is next on the squad, adding her 12.5 points per game mostly coming off the bench.
• Junior Rayndyll Butler is not a big scorer, but is an all-around threat. The guard leads the Patriot League in assists, at 5.8 per game, and is second in the conference and leads her team in rebounding, with 11.3 rebounds per game. She has 23 assists so far this season, along with a team-high six steals, and she averages 6.3 points per game.
• Junior forward Josie Stockill adds 12.0 points per game as one of Colgate's top scorers, but is a real danger on defense. Stockill has 18 blocks so far this season, good for a 4.5 blocks per game average. That's not just the best on her team, or in the Patriot League, it's the second-best average in all of NCAA Division I women's basketball.