FAIRFIELD, CONN. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team dropped a tough game on the road Monday night in the Pitt Center, falling to Sacred Heart, 71-47. The Blackbirds struggled offensively in the loss, and costly turnovers in the first half put the game out of reach early on for LIU. With the loss, the Blackbirds are now 7-16 overall, and 5-7 in Northeast Conference play.

The Blackbirds got on the board first in the game with a layup from sophomore Stylz Sanders, and would stay close, tying the game up, 4-4 at 4:02. From there, however, the home team went on a 13-3 run that spanned into the second quarter, and saw the Pioneers shoot 4-4 from the field and the free throw line. Sacred Heart would add to the cushion with a 10-3 run to end the first half, taking a 31-15 at the break.

SHU continued to outscore LIU early in the second half, using an 8-2 run that widened the lead up to 22 points at 7:38, 39-17, before the Blackbirds began to put together an offense. LIU was able to start scoring, and over the next three minutes of play, LIU would go on an 8-1 run that cut the lead down to 15 points, 40-25 with 4:44 on the clock in the third. Junior Brianna Farris and sophomore DeAngelique Waithe led LIU in the run, with a jumper and a layup.

Another run to start the fourth quarter saw LIU come even closer. An 8-2 spree by the Blackbirds cut the lead to just ten points, 48-38 with just over eight minutes left to play in the game. Junior Shanovia Dove had a three-pointer that spurned the run, while Farris converted the traditional three-point play for the Blackbirds. But the home team would answer with an 8-0 run that widened the gap up to 56-38, and just two minutes later, the Pioneers put the game out of reach with a 12-1 spurt. With two minutes left to play, the home team took the lead, 69-43, and stayed up from there. In the end, the Pioneers improved to 10-2 in NEC play with the 71-47 victory over LIU.

Junior Shanovia Dove led LIU with 16 points, while senior Jolanna Ford had 11 points and 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Sophomore DeAngelique Waithe added eight rebounds and six points, while junior Brianna Farris had nine points.

Up next, the Blackbirds take on local rival St. Francis Brooklyn on the road, Saturday, February 13 at 1 p.m.