MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team, entering the final three games of the regular season, will face off with Robert Morris on the road Monday night, taking on the Colonials, February 22 at 7 p.m. in the Sewall Center. The Blackbirds (8-18, 6-9 Northeast Conference) will be looking to clinch a spot in the playoffs, a feat that the Colonials (14-12, 8-7) achieved last week.
LAST TIME OUT• The Blackbirds are coming off a loss to the other half of the PA contingent of the Northeast Conference. LIU had an early lead in DelGol Arena in Loretto, Pa., Saturday afternoon, before Saint Francis U came back to take the lead right before halftime and win the game, 72-64.
• Junior
Shanovia Dove led LIU with 24 points and 10 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. Senior
Shanice Vaughan had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss. Junior
Brianna Farris had eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore
DeAngelique Waithe had nine points and seven rebounds
ALL-TIME SERIES• Robert Morris leads the all-time series between the two teams, 43-16, including winning the last nine match ups. The last time LIU beat Robert Morris was in 2011.
• When the two teams faced off earlier in the season, the Blackbirds threatened then league-leading Robert Morris until the last possession in the Steinberg Wellness Center, but saw the Colonials take the win in the final minutes of the game, 52-49.
• Sophomore
Paris Jones led LIU with 13 points and a career-high six rebounds. Senior
Shanice Vaughan added 12 points, six assists, and three steals.
• Junior
Shanovia Dove came close to a double-double, with 10 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore
DeAngelique Waithe had 10 rebounds and seven points.
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS• Robert Morris enters Monday's match-up on a slide, having lost three straight. The Colonials are currently 14-12 overall, and 8-7 in NEC games. Most recently, they fell to St. Francis Brooklyn in overtime at home on Saturday, 72-65. Last weekend, the Colonials lost two on the road, falling to league-leader Sacred Heart (62-52) and Fairleigh Dickinson (60-52).
• The Colonials are one of the better defensive teams in the conference, leading the NEC in scoring defense, giving up just 60.0 ponts per game, as well as field goal percentage, holding opponents to just .378 shootin from the field.
• RMU is led by junior guard Anna Nikki Stamolamprou, who averages 13.6 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Megan Smith is second on the team, averaging 7.7 points per game, and leads the Colonials on the boards, averaging 5.9 rebounds per game.
• Other key contributors include junior guard Rebeca Navarro, who adds 7.7 points per game, and leads the NEC in three-point shooting percentage (.444), senior guard Ashley Ravelli, who averages 7.2 points per game, and sophomore center Mikalah Mulrain, who averages 6.4 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 1.35 blocks per game, the third highest average in the NEC.
BLACKBIRDS ON THE BOARDS• In their loss at Saint Francis U., the Blackbirds set season-highs in rebounding. The squad had the best marks of the year in total rebounds (56), defensive rebounds (34), and offensive rebounds (22).
• Juniors
Shanovia Dove and
Brianna Farris both had career highs in the game, as Dove grabbed 12 and Farris added 10. Sophomore
DeAngelique Waithe and senior
Shanice Vaughan each grabbed seven boards as well.