BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team welcomes one of the top teams in the Northeast Conference to the Steinberg Wellness Center Monday night. The Blackbirds (6-15, 4-5 NEC) will host second-place Sacred Heart (9-11, 7-2 NEC) in a game slated for 7 p.m. tip-off in Brooklyn.
LAST TIME OUT• The Blackbirds are coming off a big home win. LIU was able to snap an eight game-home losing streak Saturday afternoon in the Steinberg Wellness Center, as the Blackbirds avenged Monday's loss to Fairleigh Dickinson by beating the Knights, 65-62. LIU forced 22 FDU turnovers, scoring 19 points off of them, in team's first win in the Steinberg Wellness Center this year.
• Junior
Brianna Farris led LIU and tied her career high with 20 points. Senior
Shanice Vaughan had 10 points and 10 assists in 40 minutes of play, for her second double-double of the season. Her 10 assists were the most for an LIU player since 2012.
• Senior Joanna Ford ended the game with 14 points, six rebounds, a career-high three assists and three steals, while
DeAngelique Waithe had 11 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Junior
Lily Abreu scored her first collegiate points in the win, finishing the game with three points, while sophomore
Stylz Sanders had seven points and five rebounds.
ALL-TIME SERIES• The Pioneers lead the all-time series, 17-15, in a rivalry that dates back to 1997, when Sacred Heart was still a DII school.
• Consistency is the name of the game for these two squads when they face off. For the past 14 years, the teams have split exactly down the middle:
2001-02: LIU won 2
2002-03: LIU won 1
2003-04: SHU won 2
2004-05: SHU won 2
2005-06: Split
2006-07: LIU won 1
2007-08: Split
2008-09: SHU won 2
2009-10: LIU won 1
2010-11: LIU won 1
2011-12: Split
2012-13: Split
2013-14: Split
2014-15: Split
Overall record since 2001-02: LIU 12, SHU 12.• Last season's series was one for the ages, with both match-ups going to overtime, and each team winning on their home court. In Brooklyn, LIU led for most of the game, before seeing SHU rally to force the extra period. LIU won, 77-74. The Pioneers avenged the loss at home a month and a half later, winning in OT, 78-71. Then-junior Hannah Kimmel had 10 of her 24 points in the overtime period to propel the Pioneers to victory.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS• Sacred Heart enters this week's match-up at 9-11 overall, and 7-2 in the Northeast Conference. After an NEC-season opening loss to Robert Morris (78-63), SHU had a run going, winning seven-straight Northeast Conference games. But Saturday, the Pioneers got knocked out of first place by the team they shared it with, falling to Bryant, 61-59 at home.
• Sacred Heart is 3-0 in Monday match-ups so far this season.
• The Pioneers are led by redshirt junior guard/forward Hannah Kimmel, who leads the team in both points per game (16.7) and rebounds per game (7.9). But three other starters contribute significant points, including senior forward Alissa Tarssi, one of the best shooters in the nation this season. Tarssi leads the NEC and is 16th in the nation, shooting .549 from the floor. She averages 11.4 points per game, and 7.4 rebounds per game. Junior guard Adaysha Williams adds 9.4 points per game and 3.2 assists per game, while senior guard Kelcey Castro is averaging 9.8 ppg.