SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team fell to New Jersey rival Seton Hall Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 77-59 decision to the Pirates. Freshman Aja Boyd and senior Shanovia Dove led LIU, with 16 points and six rebounds each, in what was a new career-high in points scored for Boyd.

The home team led wire-to-wire in Wednesday's Kids' Day matchup. A quick layup opened scoring for Seton Hall, and the Pirates would widen the gap to 12-4 within the first four minutes of play. Junior DeAngelique Waithe scored four straight points for LIU to close the gap to 12-8 at 5:42, and Dove would hit a jumper 40 seconds later to keep the Blackbirds within striking distance. But the home team ended the first quarter on a 10-0 run, forcing three LIU turnovers in the final four minutes, to take a 24-10 lead into the first break.

The Pirates continued the run into the second quarter, outscoring the Blackbirds 8-2 in the first two minutes of action, widening the lead to 32-12 at the 8:03 mark. As the first half wound down, however, LIU put a run of its own together. Senior Brianna Farris would make two free throws, and Dove and Dionne Coe would hit back-to-back three pointers that helped the Blackbirds cut the gap to 37-22, with 3:55 left in the half. The Pirates would answer with another run, this time scoring 11 unanswered points, to take their widest lead of the game, 48-22. Boyd and classmate Seneca Richards would score five points to stop the spree, and Seton Hall took a 50-27 lead into the break.

The second half saw a rejuvenated Blackbird squad take the court, and go on a run that would put the Pirates on their heels. Starting with two made free throws from Boyd at 9:01, LIU outscored SHU, 13-2 over four minutes in the third quarter. Richards hit her second three of the day, and freshman Gabrielle Caponegro and Boyd had back-to-back layups. Dove hit two free throws, and Boyd added another layup at 5:06 to cap the run, and cut the lead down to 54-40.

LIU continued to battle, and over the end of the third period and into the start of the fourth, the Blackbirds continued to close the lead until they got it down to single digits. Dove scored seven of her 16 points over the eight-minute span that saw LIU outscore Seton Hall, 14-5. Two made free throws by the senior at 5:22 cut the lead to just nine points, 63-54.

But the Pirates had one more run left in them, and this time, it was a 10-0 scoring spree that would put the home team up, 75-55 with two minutes left to play. Sophomore Drew Winter would hit a free throw with 1:32 on the clock, and a jumper at the 29-second mark, but the damage was done, and Seton Hall took the win, 77-59.

BLACKBIRD BITS

• With the win, Seton Hall moves to 6-3 on the season, while LIU is now 1-7.
• Freshman Aja Boyd led LIU with a career-high 16 points, shooting 5-for-10 from the field. She also had six rebounds in the loss.
• Senior Shanovia Dove matched her point-for-point and board-for-board, with 16 points and six rebounds as well.
• Seton Hall had four players score in double figures in the win: Jaquan Jackson (19 pts), Shadeen Samuels (18 pts), Lubirdia Gordon (15 points), and Latecia Smith (12 pts, 10 rebs).
• Up next, the Blackbirds head north to take on Colgate, Saturday, December 10 at 4 p.m.