LORETTO, Pa. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team is in the midst of a four-game series with the Pennsylvania contingent of the Northeast Conference. The Blackbirds hosted Saint Francis U. and Robert Morris last weekend, and have turned around to hit the road to take on those two teams this weekend. LIU will take on Saint Francis U., Saturday, February 14 at 4 p.m., and at Robert Morris, Monday, February 16 at 7 p.m.
BLACKBIRD BITS• A career-high 20 points in the second half from sophomore
Shanovia Dove would not be enough for the Blackbirds Monday night in the Steinberg Wellness Center, as visiting Robert Morris beat the LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team, 77-58. The Colonials (12-11, 10-2 Northeast Conference) jumped ahead early in the game, and led the Blackbirds (7-16, 4-8 NEC) for the entire contest.
• Junior
Sophie Bhasin had eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.
• RMU's Anna Nikki Stamolamprou led all players with 24 points.
• LIU Brooklyn shot 80 percent from the free throw line Monday, and made a season-high 10 three pointers in the loss.
ALL-TIME SERIES• Saint Francis holds the all-time advantage in match-ups between the two teams, 42-17.
• In their meeting last week, the Blackbirds beat Saint Francis U., 84-79. The game was a messy one, as the two teams combined for a total of 61 turnovers and 62 fouls were called, in a contest that lasted two and a half hours. The foul calls proved to be crucial in LIU's victory, as Saint Francis shot 57.1 percent from the free throw line to LIU's 78 percent, in what would be the major difference in the game
• Junior
Jolanna Ford had a career-high 25 points, along with seven rebounds and three steals. She shot 50 percent from the field, and went 13-for-15 from the free throw line in the win.
• Senior
Letava Whippy had 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals, for her second double-double of the season.
• Junior
Sophie Bhasin had 23 points and seven rebounds, including going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
• LIU out-rebounded the Red Flash, 51-42.
• Last season, the two teams split games. In Brooklyn, SFU got the win, 84-76. The two teams were locked in a run-and-gun contest for 40 minutes, in a match-up that saw the score tied seven times, and the lead change hands 12 times. LIU had four players score in double-digits in the loss, including a 15 point, 11 rebound double-double from
Letava Whippy.
• The second time the two teams matched up, LIU pulled out a last-second win, beating the Red Flash at home in February, 69-66.
Sophie Bhasin had 19 points for LIU in the win, one of three players in double-digits.
SCOUTING THE RED FLASH• After an 11-7 NEC record in 2013-14 and advancing to the NEC championship game, Saint Francis U. is struggling in 2014-15. The Red Flash come into this weekend's game at 3-20 overall, and 2-10 in NEC play.
• The two wins that the Red Flash has chalked up this season have been big ones, beating defending NEC champs Robert Morris, 71-68, and downing Wagner on the road, 87-74.
• After a loss to LIU last weekend, the Red Flash then dropped a game at FDU, 78-63.
• Overall, the Red Flash is third in the conference in scoring, averaging 69.1 points per game as a team. They're also third in the NEC in blocked shots (3.33), and second in steals behind LIU, snagging an average of 9.0 per game.
• Hayward is one of the top scorers in the nation. Her 22.7 points per game is second in the NEC, and tenth in the NCAA. She also ranks nationally in three-point field goals made, averaging 2.62 per game. In the conference, she is also fourth in assists per game, with an average of 4.52.
• Junior guard Aisha Brock is next in scoring, adding 13.0 points per game, while Cydney Smith is fifth in the conference in blocked shots, swatting away an average of 1.11 per contest.