BURLINGTON, Vt. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team dropped its closest game of the season Saturday night at the TD Bank Classic hosted by the University of Vermont. Five points in the final minute of play from NJIT's Tracey Brereton lifted the Highlanders over the Blackbirds, 50-48, despite a last-second three pointer from LIU senior Shanovia Dove. Dove led all players with a double-double in the loss, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, along with a game-high four steals; redshirt sophomore Drew Winter added 10 points and three assists for the Blackbirds, who move to 0-5 on the season.

Runs determined the course of the game Saturday. LIU opened the game on a strong note, using buckets from senior Brianna Farris, freshman Gabrielle Caponegro, and junior Stylz Sanders to take an early 6-0 lead. NJIT finally got on the board at the six-minute mark, but the Blackbirds answered with another 6-0 run, this time with baskets from Winter, Dove, and junior DeAngelique Waithe that would give LIU a 12-4 lead. Winter added a layup in the final seconds of the first quarter to put LIU ahead, 14-6, at the end of the first frame.

In the second quarter, it was NJIT that would take control with a run. The Highlanders would score nine unanswered points to take the lead, 15-14 with 6:42 to play in the half.  NJIT would build that lead to 20-16 before the Blackbirds would really answer back. With just over four minutes left to play in the first half, Dove sparked a run for LIU by draining a three. Her bucket was the start of a 12-2 spree by the Blackbirds that included baskets from Farris, Winter, Caponegro and freshman Aja Boyd. The spree gave LIU the 28-22 lead headed into the halftime break, the first halftime lead the Blackbirds have had this season.

But the lead didn't last long. NJIT came out of the half, and went on an 11-2 run, paced by five points from Alana Dudley, to go ahead 33-30. Two minutes later, a three from NJIT's Jordan Ireland increased the Highlander lead to 38-24, their widest of the day. Dove and Farris would respond in the next 35 seconds by going a collective 4-of-4 from the free throw line to tie the game up once more, 38-38.

Though LIU would retake the lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Brereton hit a free throw that would tie it up with 5:29 to play, and a minute and a half later, she hit a layup that would tie it up once more, 45-45. With five seconds left in the game, Brerton would then go 2-for-2 at the free throw line to ice the win for NJIT. Though Dove hit a three-pointer with less than two seconds remaining on the clock to cut the lead to 49-48, Brereton was fouled right away, and made one final free throw that would prevent LIU's comeback attempt from gaining traction, and give NJIT the win, 50-48.

Shanovia Dove led the Blackbirds with her double-double (15 pts, 10 rebounds, four steals), while Drew Winter added 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. Brianna Farris added nine points and eight rebounds, while Gabrielle Caponegro had six points and five rebounds. Freshman Aja Boyd also had six rebounds in the loss, along with four points.

LIU returns to action Thursday, December 1, when it hosts the Yale Bulldogs at the Steinberg Wellness Center in downtown Brooklyn; tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.