MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team had a hard-fought loss in the Sewall Center Monday night, as the Blackbirds were within three points of the defending Northeast Conference champions twice, before falling to Robert Morris, 67-46.
The game started on an even keel, as the Blackbirds got on the board first with a layup from junior
Sophie Bhasin at 18:09. Another Bhasin layup gave LIU the 4-3 lead again just one minute later. At that point, however Robert Morris found a rhythm, and over the next six minutes, would outscore the blackbirds, 15-0, to take an 18-4 lead at the 11-minute mark.
Senior
Letava Whippy got LIU back in the game with a layup, which helped spark the Blackbirds' offense on a 15-4 run. A layup by sophomore
Shanovia Dove and a three-pointer from
Brianna Farris helped cut the lead down to eight points, 19-11 at 6:56. Farris's three was the start of a scoring spree for the sophomore, as she hit two more threes in under a minute, to single-handedly bring the Blackbirds within striking distance, 22-19 at 5:27. Robert Morris answered the run by holding LIU scoreless for the remainder of the half. RMU's defense forced the Blackbirds to turn the ball over seven times in an 11-0 run, that would eventually give the Colonials a 33-19 lead at the break.
The Blackbirds came out strong in the second half, matching the Colonials basket for basket. Whippy sparked another run for LIU, with her layup at 14:39. The Blackbirds would score seven straight points over the next minute and a half, closing RMU's lead to 42-36, and forcing the home team to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Dove increased the streak to ten-straight, with a three pointer at 12:26 that cut the lead to just three points for the second time, 42-39.
Robert Morris retook control of the game just minutes later, using back-to-back steals and fast break layups to go up, 48-39. The four points were part of an overall 13-1 run by the home team, as the Colonials took a 55-40 lead with just over seven minutes left to play. From there, RMU continued to hold the Blackbirds back, scoring two points for every one LIU would manage to make. In the end, the league leading Colonials (14-11, 12-2 NEC) completed the series sweep, winning 67-46.
Up next, LIU Brooklyn (7-18, 4-10 NEC) hosts Wagner on Senior Day in the Steinberg Wellness Center, Saturday, February 21 at 2 p.m.
BLACKBIRDS BITS• Junior guard
Sophie Bhasin led LIU with 10 points.
• Senior
Letava Whippy had a complete game for the Blackbirds, with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Sophomore
Brianna Farris had nine points, going 3-for-5 from long distance.
• Robert Morris scored 21 points off turnovers and had 14 second chance points off of 15 offensive boards.