BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team returns home to Brooklyn after three games on the road over the last week; the Blackbirds will welcome the University of Maryland-Baltimore County to the Barclays Center, home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, Wednesday, December 21, as a part of a double-header with the men's team. Tip off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. It is the last non-conference game of the season for LIU, who begin Northeast Conference play next week.
QUICK HITS
- LIU (1-9) fell to the Columbia Lions, 66-57, last time out. A trio of freshmen led the Blackbirds: forward Aja Boyd scored a team and career-high 18 points, guard Seneca Richards netted a career-high 14 points, and forward Gabrielle Caponegro tallied a career-best eight points.
- Senior Shanovia Dove is leading the Blackbirds on the season, averaging 13.2 points per game. Dove has led the Blackbirds in scoring in four games this season. That mark is tied with Boyd for the team-high.
- The Blackbirds played the first-ever women's college basketball game at Barclays Center against Mount St. Mary's January 12, 2013.
- LIU is 1-0 against the America East this season. The Blackbirds defeated Stony Brook, 58-48, December 4. Dove led the team with 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds.Boyd scored 11 points and graduate-student Dionne Coe added eight points in the win. Caponegro recorded eight rebounds.
- UMBC enters the match-up 2-7, on a seven-game losing streak. The first two games of the season, UMBC beat Columbia, 67-56, and Gettysburg, 71-51, but haven't won one since. The Retrievers have four players who average in double figures: senior Taylor McCarley leads the team averaging 12.8 points per game, and junior Lakiah Sims is second on the team scoring 10.9 points per game. Junior Laura Castaldo (10.7 ppg) and senior Pandora Wilson (10.2 ppg) round out the Retrievers' top-four scorers.
- Up next, the Blackbirds open Northeast Conference play against Mount St. Mary's Thursday, December 29 at the Steinberg Wellness Center. The game is slated to start at 2:00 p.m.