BROOKLYN, N.Y. -The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team returns to home court for the first time since mid-December, hosting their Northeast Conference home opener this weekend. The Blackbirds will welcome Saint Francis U. to the Steinberg Wellness Center as a part of a double-header with the men's team, Saturday, January 9; tip-off is at 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT• LIU is off to a hot start in the 2016 NEC season. The Blackbirds won two road games last weekend to open the conference slate 2-0. It is LIU's best start to an NEC schedule since the 2009-10 season.
• Monday afternoon in Detrick Gymnasium, the Blackbirds beat Central Connecticut State, 59-45. LIU was led by three players who scored in double-digits: junior
Shanovia Dove (19 points), sophomore
Stylz Sanders (12 points - a career-high) and sophomore
Paris Jones (10 points).
• Saturday, LIU opened the 2016 NEC season with a road win in Knott Arena, as the Blackbirds beat Mount St. Mary's, 61-51. Defense was a highlight for LIU, as the Blackbirds forced 28 Mountaineer turnovers. Senior
Ashley Brown had a career high five steals, four of which came in the first half. Brown also had a career-high four rebounds, along with eight points. Senior
Shanice Vaughan led LIU in scoring with 17 points. She also had five rebounds and two steals in the win.
ALL-TIME SERIES• Saint Francis U. leads the all time series between the two teams, 41-17. LIU and SFU have split contests for the last three seasons. Last year, the two teams split, both winning at home.
• LIU had the win in the Steinberg Wellness Center, 84-79, behind a career night from then-junior
Jolanna Ford. Ford led LIU with 25 points, seven rebounds and three steals. 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.
• In Loretto, Pa., just over a week later, the Blackbirds fell to SFU, 87-75.
SCOUTING THE RED FLASH• Saint Francis U. comes into the weekend with a 3-10 overall record, 1-1 in the conference. The Red Flash beat Wagner in the NEC season opener at home, 93-78, but suffered an 81-77 defeat at the hands of Sacred Heart Monday night.
• SFU is currently the highest scoring team in the NEC. The Red Flash averages 75.9 points per game. They also lead the league in blocks (4.77 per game), assists per game (15.82), and steals per game (10.38). They are the only team higher than LIU in steals per game, with the Blackbirds coming in second, averaging 9.85 steals per contest.
• SFU graduated its top scorer from last season, All-NEC guard Alexa Hayward, who averaged 23.2 points per game last season. But coach Joe Haigh found someone to fill her shoes, in freshman guard Jessica Kovatch. On the heels of her seventh-straight NEC Rookie of the Week award, Kovatch enters the weekend averaging 22.4 points per game to lead her team, the second-highest average in the conference. She's also second in the NEC in steals per game, with 2.69.
• Surrounding Kovatch is a high-scoring offense and strong post play. Junior point guard Katie Reese averages 8.8 points per game, and leads the NEC in assists per game, averaging 4.38. Sophomore guard Halee Adams adds 8.3 points per game. In the paint, sophomore center Cydney Smith has 25 blocks so far this season, a 1.92 blocks per game average. And graduate student and forward Brielle Ward leads the team on the boards, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.